Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Light
by pokEFan22
Summary: After a school explosion, a girl named Daisy somehow turns into an Umbreon. Her and a Jolteon called Storm form a rescue team called Team Darkened Thunder. Yet there are many secrets, betrayals, and battles hidden in the Pokemon world, and will Daisy and friends stop Darkrai before he destroys the Pokemon and Human world?
1. Prologue

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

A 13 year old teenager groaned, rolling over on her bed to shut her alarm clock off. Her flowing black hair fell over her face, and she blinked her hazel eyes to adjust to the light. Immediantly she remembered that today was the last day of school. Excitement shone in her eyes as she sprung out of bed to stretch. Her plan for the summer was to go to Florida with her sister and dog, Bear. He would enjoy it.

She started to comb her hair, whistling softly. When she was done, she changed her clothes and ran downstairs quickly, sitting at the glass table. Her mom was still cooking her favorite breakfast: pancakes. Bear was barking outside at some other dog, the teenager guessed. Sighing, she stretched once again and waited impatiently for the pancakes to be done.

Minutes later her belly started to rumble. "When is it done, Mom?" she moaned. Yesterday she barely ate anything; she was excited for this day to come and it finally came.

"Soon, Daisy," her mother answered.

When the pancakes were finished, she set the food on the table and Daisy's belly finally silenced itself as she took a huge chunk out of the food. Bear walked inside and sat next to her chair. Sighing, Daisy gave him the last of her food before finishing up. Then she glanced at her watch. 7:00 AM - school would start in ten minutes.

Daisy darted out the door, forgetting to get her backpack, and took the shortcut in her backyard to go to her school. Her hair flowed behind her as she skipped nervously on. Her school was almost a mile away, and it took ten minutes to get there, so she would probably be late as she walked up the steps and into Junior High.

She finally reached the street that led to the big golden building. Standing proudly in front her school, Daisy checked her watch again. 7:15. Yep, she was late.

Suddenly the teenager sniffed. Something smelled funny. Looking around, to her surprise, there was a bomb in the parking lot besides the school. Daisy sprinted away from the place, not knowing what she was doing, but it was too late - an explosion appeared and debris shot everywhere. Daisy dared to sniff, and she immediantly regretted it. The smell was even worse than poop. It had to be poison.

The female didn't look back as she ran quicker. Windows were knocked down and pieces of wood hit her arms. She screamed as she tripped and fell over the curb. Daisy tried to get up, but the explosion was too big, and she knew she was going to die.

Daisy closed her eyes as another big piece of wood hit her in the face.

In her dream, she saw stars. Stars that were flickering blue, red, yellow, and even purple. They weren't planets - they weren't tht bright, and they were twinkling. _Am I dead? Is this heaven?_ Daisy realized she could not talk, but she could only think. A blue light exploded from the sky, heading right towards her, and she gasped. But it looked beautiful and harmless. The female tried to move away, but she couldn't even control herself.

Finally, the blue light transformed into a strange creature. _What the heck? Is that a Gardevoir? I must be dreaming._ Daisy tried to close her eyes and open them again to see that she was perfectly safe in front of her school, but she was still with the Gardevoir. _Where am I?_

_**Do not be afraid, young one.**_ A grin shown on the Gardevoir's face. _**There are many creatures on this planet, known as Pokemon. You are not alone. You do know what Pokemon are, do you?**_

_Who are you and where am I?!_ Daisy thought, freaking out. If this was just a nightmare, she had nothing to worry about. But if this was real... _Gardevoir, I'm just a regular teenager. Why me? I'm just a human; I'm not a Pokemon or anything?_

_**Just believe, Daisy, and you can help us. You can become strong and then become one of us.**_

_I can't! I can't do this. What do you mean, I can help? What kind of Pokemon am I going to become?_

_**One look at you and I know who you really are. I present you as an Umbreon. You will form a rescue team with another Pokemon and save the world. Believe in yourself and you will be safe.**_

_An... Umbreon?_ Daisy could hardly believe what was happening. She didn't really care for Umbreons - they weren't her favorite Pokemon. She had heard of one, and thought of them as cool, but she honestly didn't know what they had to do with her personality.

_**Yes, an Umbreon. If you can prove you're strong and worthy, Daisy, and your destiny is fulfilled, you will either die or turn into a human again. Or if you choose, you may stay as a Pokemon. We'll see. Farewell, my friend. May we meet again.**_

_Wait! Why did you chose me?! What do I do? Are you sure I'm good enough? I-_

Daisy couldn't finish her sentence before the Gardevoir disappeared and she was sent into darkness again.


	2. Chapter 1: Rescuing Cyndaquil

**Hey, this is old, and I made it in August, I believe. So don't hate. I did fix a few things and made it better, but I can still write better a ton than this crap. o.o**

Jolteon hesitated as he pressed one paw on the grate. This was one of the first times he visited the Guild, and he didn't even have a rescue team yet. Not many Pokemon in this town didn't have one, so that was one reason why Jolteon didn't have a partner. There were many rescue teams; the problem was, they were all filled out. Jolteon didn't get a chance to find a friend.

He flinched as a Pokemon said his name, and turned around to see the door of the Guild opening. A fat Charizard came out and looked at Jolteon. Flame. "Hello, Storm. Still looking for a partner, eh? Sorry, we still don't have any new Pokemon yet. Come in!"

The Jolteon, known as Storm, nodded silently as he padded to the door. The walls were pitch black while the floor, covered in carpet, was white. Other Pokemon were staring at Storm like he was an intruder, but Flame didn't mind. She just walked away, ordering Storm to follow her. Storm looked nervous, but nodded anyway as he padded over to an elevator.

"This'll be your room once you get a rescue team," the Charizard exclaimed. She pressed a button with her claw and quickly the elevator slammed shut.

They were taken to a small room with three comfortable beds. One bed was electric yellow while the other wasn't painted yet. "You know that bed is for you," Pidgeot said, pointing to the electric one.

Storm nodded and padded over to the warm bed, putting a blanket over him. "It's warm," he sighed as he drifted off.

"Don't fall asleep yet!" Flame woke him up with a claw over his fur.

Storm yelped as he woke up and turned towards Pidgeot. He growled, then sat down with a sigh. "Oh, sorry. I thought someone was going to attack me."

The Charizard nodded in respect and walked back to the elevator. Storm quickly followed her, knowing that they were going back to the first floor of the Guild. As soon as Flame pressed the button, Storm flinched. _This elevator goes fast._

Storm looked around at all the other Pokemon. They were staring back at him and he gulped. Would these Pokemon ever treat him as a friend?

"You should go now; it's not dusk yet. You can sleep in your bed when it is." Flame appeared out of nowhere. Storm gazed at her, surprised by her sudden appearance, and nodded. He silently walked over to the door and opened it. A blast of wind hit his face. It was probably morning, Storm thought. He wouldn't have to worry about going back in that Guild until it was nighttime. He was about to drift off since he was so tired, until a loud noise forced him awake.

His eyes followed the beach, which was not far from him. There a dark Pokemon lay quietly near the shore, and Storm gasped. Maybe that Pokemon would be his new partner! He quickly ran to the beach, panting deep breaths. Finally he skidded to a stop in front of the Pokemon that lay in front of him. It was dark with yellow markings and red eyes; Storm knew right away that this was an Umbreon. But usually those were rare... He pushed the feeling away quickly. "Please wake up." When he heard no answer, he yelled again: "WAKE UP!"

**Daisy's POV**

The Umbreon flinched, hearing a loud noise scream in her ear. She landed right in the water. Gasping, shaking herself off, Daisy lay panting on the beach. "Why do I have paws instead of hands?" she asked herself, but loud enough for Storm to hear. Suddenly she remembered what happened and how the Gardevoir appeared in her dream. The Umbreon widened her red eyes. "Oh, great. I'm a Pokemon!" She was about to run in circles in despair until Storm put his paw out.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What are hands? And of course you're a Pokemon. There's nothing besides them around these parts." Storm looked nervously at the strange Umbreon. Daisy wondered what he was thinking.

"But I used to be a human! I can't believe this. Where is my school?" She looked at the Jolteon in confusion.

"Your school?" Storm cocked his head, confused. "What are you talking about? Did you hit your head on a rock and lose your memory or something?"

"That dream..." she whispered. "I only remember the dream, some of my friends, and my school." It was too low for Storm to hear.

He just shrugged and sat down to scratch his ears. "Hey, what's your name? If we get to know each other, maybe we can form a rescue team! Wait...if you lost your memory, you probably don't know what that is."

The Umbreon cocked her head in confusion. Then she snapped back into reality. "I didn't lose my memory! I was a human once...but not a Pokemon. I have no idea what a rescue team is. Oh, and...my name's Daisy." Maybe if this Jolteon knew her name, he wouldn't think she lost her memory.

"What a weird name!" Storm laughed, but Daisy just growled. Storm flinched and dipped his head. "Sorry, I just never heard a name like that before. I'm Storm."

Daisy looked at him and giggled a bit. "Now THAT'S a weird name."

"You want to form a rescue team? There's not many Pokemon around here, and I don't have a partner." When Daisy looked confused, he added: "Let me explain. A rescue team is where you form a team of about two or three Pokemon and rescue others who need help. You can do that, right?"

_Maybe, _Daisy thought to herself. She liked helping others, and a rescue team sounded fun. She thought about it for a little bit until a loud cry could be heard. The two both flinched, and turned around to see a Cyndaquil crying for help.

"Help me!" The fire-type yelled as she padded over to Storm and Daisy. "I tried to get to the Guild, but a huge Houndour was blocking the entrance! When I tried to get past, he attacked me! I'm too weak to fight...My child is going to be born any day now. Can you drive him out?"

Storm looked over at Daisy and smiled. "This might be our first rescue team mission," he said quietly. "Do you want to do this?"

Daisy nodded. "Of course! I always wanted to help others...and I'm not a bad guy, so why can't we?" She walked over to Cyndaquil and nodded. "We'll help you no matter the cause."

The Cyndaquil nodded and yelled at the Houndour. Sure enough, the dog Pokemon was blocking the entrance to the Guild, but he was standing behind the grate. He snarled when the three Pokemon appeared. "What's the matter with you?!" Daisy yelled. _Let's see if I know how to use my attacks. _She charged the Houndour and used Tackle. He dodged easily, landing on a rock. Then he fired up a Flamethrower and threw it right on the Umbreon's face. _Ouch! I need to train... _Luckily, she was saved by Storm who used Thundershock on Houndour. The Houndour was electrified and sent flying in a nearby cave.

"Uh-oh. Some rescue teams are in that cave. I guess they'll have to deal with that Houndour..." Storm chuckled.

Cynadquil smiled and hugged the two. "You guys are strong! Thanks for saving me! Now we can get to the Guild! Here, I award you with an oran berry and 100 cash!"

_What's an oran berry? _Daisy dipped her head gratefully and took the items from her. _Best not to ask and look like an idiot. _"So...are we going to the Guild now?" she asked as they padded over to the Guild.

"Yep," Storm said. He waited for her to follow as they started the beginning of their journey as a rescue team.


	3. Chapter 2: At The Guild

**This is really old, I did fix some things, but I can still write a lot better than this.**

"Uh...there's the grate..." Storm whispered, taking a step back from the grate that was in front of him.

"You're afraid of that thing?" Daisy asked, tilting her head.

"You'll see when you step on it!" Storm yelled. "Let me go first...I want you to know what happens." He pressed his paw against the grate quietly, and immediately flinched.

"Pokemon detecting! Pokemon detecting! Whose footprint? Whose footprint? The footprint is Jolteon's! The footprint is Jolteon's!" A loud voice rang in Daisy's ears, and she also flinched.

Storm smiled at her. "I think we'll get used to this soon..." he said. "Your turn. Now, there's not many Umbreons around here, so they might not know who you are."

Daisy nodded slowly, not knowing where this was going. She took one big step on the grate and pressed her paw to it. The loud voice appeared again, but she was ready. Daisy flinched a little, but she stayed on the grate.

"Pokemon detecting! Pokemon detecting! Whose footprint? Whose footprint? The footprint is...urm...The footprint is...uh, the footprint is Leafeon's?" The voice was quiet this time. Daisy rolled her eyes; of course she wasn't a Leafeon!

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" A loud voice erupted louder than last time and made both Storm and Daisy flinch. "The footprint is Umbreon's! We just don't have many around here! Now, try not to mess up again, okay? You're embarassing us."

The voice seemed to be quieter than normal. "Yes, Eclipse..."

"That's Eclipse, leader of one of the greatest rescue teams around. He always acts like he's the boss of everything. It's so annoying!" Storm sighed and slapped his forehead with one paw. "Stay away from him, will you? You might get in trouble."

Daisy nodded silently, looking up as the door opened in front of them. In front of the door was the biggest dog she had ever seen. It was a Houndoom. "Who do we have here?" he growled, looking at the two Pokemon. "Storm and - was that the Umbreon Diglett was _trying _to talk to us about?"

"I forgot to say," Storm whispered in Daisy's ear. "Sentry Diglett's the one that sees who steps on the grate and enters. If it's an enemy Pokemon, he doesn't let them in." Daisy nodded, but her mind focused on other things. _What if Eclipse was the Pokemon who sent the Houndour to the Guild?_

She shook the feeling off as she realized the Houndoom was talking. "Well? What's your name?"

Daisy opened her mouth to speak, but Storm already was. "That's Daisy; she's my new friend. Claims she's a human, but I'm not sure about that."

"I am!" Daisy snapped, not in her usual tone. "I don't know how to get out of here!"

The Houndoom ignored her and stared at Storm. "Coming to form a rescue team, eh? It's about time. You've been here for so long and never done a thing, Storm. Finding Daisy was probably a good sign - but that means you've got tons of work to do. Come on!" He flicked his tail and led the pair to the Guild.

It was a pitch black room with white carpet, and tons of Pokemon were eating at the brown table. _Dinner time? _Daisy thought. The Houndoom led them to a large elevator. He pointed to all the buttons. "You'll memorize these soon, once you get your rescue team name." He grunted and moved on towards a large button: Floor 6, the sign said. "Never press that button, you hear me? If you do, you'll get in deep trouble."

Daisy tilted her head. What was that floor about? She wanted to check it out, but Eclipse might send her to a dungeon or something. She took one look at the button than stood above all the others; red instead of white. Maybe the Houndoom just wanted to scare her? Her thoughts were cut off as he continued. "I heard a Pokemon died in their once. A Cyndaquil it was." Daisy hesitated. It was probably a different Cyndaquil then the one she rescued, hopefully. She was about to ask when Eclipse flicked his tail. "Let's go. I'll show you more of the rooms, plus your own."

"Eclipse!" another Pokemon yelled, before the Houndoom could press a button on the elevator with his paw. "Come over here! I don't like this food!" When Daisy looked her over, she noticed it was a Ninetails.

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "That's my friend and another part of my rescue team, called Skye. She's a pain sometimes, but I'd never kill her." He seemed to read Daisy's thoughts and looked at her curiously. Had he guessed what she was thinking about him being evil? But he turned away from her and walked over to Skye. "You eat what there is or you don't get anything at all, okay, Skye?" He flicked his tail in front of her mouth before she could protest and stalked away.

"How rude!" Storm whispered before Eclipse could come any closer to them. "He always does that to others. You should stay away from him. Bad luck to have _him _showing us around, right?"

Right after he said that, Eclipse came over and sat down to scratch his ears. "Well, that was unexpected." He chuckled for a moment, and then stood up like he was about to show them somewhere else. "Come, let me show you your room. Hurry now before someone else interrupts us again." He stalked off, signaling with his tail for Daisy and Storm to follow. They took a slow step forward until they reached the elevator. They realized Eclipse was staring at a button called Floor 18. Was that their room? He pressed it with his paw, and led them both into a dark room with a white floor. It looked almost identical to the first floor except it had no carpets. On the side of the room were three beds; one painted yellow and the other pitch black with yellow markings. _Cool, _Daisy thought.

"These are your beds," Eclipse exclaimed. "They're comfortable, but don't get your hopes up. You might get tired in the morning while using them. Exploud will have to wake you up." Storm stared at him with a sigh. "I know, I know, I'm not that fond of Exploud either. But you have to deal with it. Let's go, you had enough of looking at your room today. Flame will give you your official rescue team name."

_Flame? _Daisy thought. She was curious, but at the same time, excited. Today she would be getting her rescue team name! Storm seemed almost as excited at her. He raced towards the dinner table, probably where Flame was located. Sure enough, a big Charizard was talking with some Vulpix at one of the tables. _That must be Flame, _Daisy thought. She was right. Eclipse led them to the fat Charizard and she turned around immediately.

"Oh, some newcomers I see! Bring them to me, Eclipse!" Daisy and Storm were pushed forward and near the chair Flame was sitting. They flashed uneasy glances at each other before turning towards the Charizard.

"Hello, we're-"

"No need to introduce, I know you already!" Flame laughed. Her laugh was so loud everyone turned around to look. "Eclipse told me about you. Daisy and Storm, would you like to start your first rescue team?"

"Duh!" they both said at the same time.

Flame laughed, patting Daisy and Storm on the head. "Don't get too excited, my friends. Starting a rescue team is a bunch of hard work. You need to go to a lot of dungeons in order to become Silver Rank." When she saw Daisy looking confused, she began explaining. "Silver Rank is where all the best rescue teams go, where they go to super hard dungeons that only they can explore. You must have three partners in your team to get to that rank."

Daisy nodded intently and glanced at her. "Can I guess my team name?"

Flame laughed again. "No, sweetie. Eclipse can do that for you. He bosses around everyone, but I don't mind. That's his job."

Daisy and Storm looked at each other. _What?! She doesn't care what Eclipse does?! _They were both thinking the same thing. Flame didn't seem offended; she just smiled.

Eclipse nodded and smiled as he turned towards Daisy and Storm. "You're rescue team name will be...

"Team Poophead."

"WHAT!?" Daisy yelled, accidentally out loud. "Team Poophead?! That's the worst name we've ever heard of!"

"Yeah! How about Team Eevee or something? We're both eveelutions," Storm screamed.

"MY WORD IS LAW!" Eclipse thundered and got in both of their faces. "If you can't accept it, might as well not start a rescue team at all." Flame nodded and stared at him with wide eyes. But they weren't surprised eyes; they were full of laughter.

_Is she like, obsessed with him or something? _Daisy sighed. _This will be the worst year ever. Team Poophead! Seriously? What is Eclipse thinking? _Eclipse grinned and led her to a bulletin board. Daisy squinted with her eyes and realized they were filled with jobs.

"Today will be your first rescue mission," Eclipse exclaimed. _Wow, he forgot I rescued Cyndaquil from those Houndour. Eh, who cares? _Daisy looked at all the jobs, trying to find one she would do. She realized one of them said 'Go under the volcano and die.' Did Eclipse write that? He pointed his paw to the words, and Daisy gasped. "I'm just joking!" Eclipse laughed and pointed to a different one. "So, here it is."

Daisy squinted with her eyes and stared at the words Eclipse was pointing at. It was written in blue.

_Dear anyone who reads this,_

_Help! I got attacked by a couple of Charmeleons and got stuck in this one cave. Luckily, my friend got me out, but she ended up getting stuck too! I need someone who's strong enough to help me defeat those Charmeleons!_

"Aren't Charmeleons strong?" Daisy asked after she was done reading. "Are you sure this would be perfect for my first mission?"

Eclipse silenced her. "Stop asking questions," he chuckled. "Of course it is. Every Pokemon needs to be strong in order to reach Silver Rank. Any mission is good for you."

Daisy was about to protest, but just nodded. She stared at Storm who shrugged. Eclipse looked over at Flame, who was done eating and going towards the middle of the room. "I think she was drunk. She's acting like a real leader now," Eclipse exclaimed. "Come, it's time for the pledge." Daisy looked confused. She had no idea what the pledge was or what it said. Storm managed to help her to the middle of the room and smiled.

"Don't worry; just follow along to what other people say. It'll be fine, I promise." Storm nudged her, and Daisy sighed with nervousness. Finally, Flame spoke.

"It is time for the pledge."

All Pokemon turned towards Flame, and dipped their heads. Daisy did the same, not knowing where this was going. Moments later, the Pokemon both spoke, which made Daisy follow along:

_Forever we will protect, and keep safe, all Pokemon- good or bad._

_Never will we back down from a fight, no matter how tough or how weak, the Pokemon is._

_We will keep moving forward, until victory is achieved. __Because__ we are rescue teams, and that's what we do._

_Forever we will protect the balance of space, time, darkness, and light._

_Forever we will protect all Pokemon._

When it was over, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief. She did the correct pledge, and everyone didn't stare at her. Eclipse nodded to her, which wasn't like him at all. Storm nudged her on the shoulder. "You did great," he said.

"Thanks," Daisy said happily. She looked over at Flame, who was sitting alone in the corner. "Hey, Flame?" she asked as she walked towards her. "Remember when Eclipse gave me my team name instead of you?"

Flame sighed, clearly not wanting to talk about this. "Yes, and I'm sorry. I was drunk; I just suddenly had the urge to like Eclipse. Do you want me to change it for you?"

Daisy nodded and sat down. "Team Eevee?"

"No, Daisy," Flame chuckled. "I give the names for you. Sorry. I know you'll like this one though - Team Darkened Thunder."

"Whoa! It goes along with our names good!" Storm smiled and dipped his head gratefully towards Flame. "Thanks, it's a great name! We'll promise to remember it."

Flame chuckled, like she always did. "No problem. I'm sure you'll be bronze rank in no time."

Daisy smiled. Today wouldn't be so bad after all - Team Darkened Thunder would be their new name, and no other Pokemon would be making fun of them.

All of a sudden, thunder boomed in the sky outside. _A thunderstorm is coming_. Daisy sighed. As much as she loved rain, she wanted to go on this mission right away.

"Rain! Make it stop!" Storm yelled as he walked outside to check the thunderstorm. "I like thunder, sure... But I hate rain! It ruins my chance to go on a mission!"

"Sorry, you're unlucky." Eclipse appeared from behind the two. "You can go on the mission next time. I'm just worried because others are out there taking missions. They might be struck by lightning."

Daisy walked back inside and growled to herself. She wanted to go on this mission so much, and rain had to ruin it! But she had to accept it, so she walked over to the dinner table to meet new Pokemon until she saw Flame follow her.

"I think it's getting dark," Flame said. "You should be going to your beds now. This is your first night out as a rescue team...I hope you're happy."

"Happy?" Storm stalked over and growled. "I would be, if this stupid storm didn't ruin it!"

"Your own name is Storm, I thought you'd love them," Daisy joked. Storm growled, but didn't say anything. He just walked towards the elevator and pressed a button. _Glad he remembered, _Daisy thought as she realized the button said Floor 18. That was where their room was, and where they'd be sleeping. When the elevator stopped, Storm walked out quickly and settled down in his bed for a sleep. Daisy did the same, and breathed one last sigh before sleep took her.

In her dream, Daisy was outside in front of the Guild but behind the grate. She was looking up at the pitch black sky, but there were no stars. _Probably just clouds covering it, _Daisy thought. But when she squinted with her eyes more, she saw a faint bluish comet beneath the clouds. _If I can't see any stars, how can I see a comet? Even if it's faint..._

_**There are no stars, **_a voice seemed to whisper which made Daisy flinch. _Gardevoir?! _she thought. But Gardevoir didn't answer her question. Instead, she said: _**Beware, young one. It'll only be a matter of time before you have to save the world...and yourself.**_

Daisy gasped. "What do you mean?!" she tried to say. "What will happen?"

_**That I cannot tell you, **_Gardevoir explained. _**You will have to figure it out yourself.**_

"But-" Daisy cried out, but Gardevoir had already disappeared in the mist. As she looked up at the clouds, the comet disappeared too. Now the only thing left was darkness.

Daisy woke up quickly and stood up on her bed. _That was really creepy, _she thought. _Should I tell Storm? _Then she realized he'd probably freak out and try to leave. So she shook her head, and padded over to Storm who was still sleeping. She decided to leave him alone and go downstairs. "Time to meet some new friends," she said quietly to herself as she pressed the number one.

The elevator took her at the first floor; there was barely any Pokemon there since it was still dark out. Luckily Flame was there, and some other Pokemon were looking at the bulletin board. Daisy nearly jumped when a Pokemon appeared in front of her.

"Oh, hi!" the Pokemon waved. When Daisy looked some more, she realized it was a Buizel. "You must be new here. I heard your name is Daisy. My team name is Team Waterfall, and we're already Silver Rank!" He punched his fist in the air and smiled.

"Oh, congratulations," Daisy said happily. "You must be proud."

"Yeah but I'm not team leader." The Buizel sighed. "Our team leader is Shade the Empoleon. He's awesome! It's hard to believe he used to be a puny little Piplup." He chuckled. "I wasn't around then, but Flame told me some stories about him and how he used to cry for his mother when he went on a rescue team mission. It was so hilarious! I wish I was there."

"Me, too," Daisy said. "That would've been funny."

The Buizel nodded; he seemed lost in thought. "Bye," he finally said, and went to check in with his team members.

Daisy realized Storm had entered from the elevator and looked over at her. "Should we go do the mission now? The storm's over." Daisy nodded and sighed with relief. She was so impatient to do the mission, but then the storm came. Now that it was over, Daisy would have time to do the mission.

"I'm ready," she whispered. She turned towards Storm and went by his side. Today would be their first mission as a rescue team.


	4. Chapter 3: Blizzard Cave

Before Storm and Daisy could walk outside, Flame went up to them in confusion. "Where are you going? You know you can't start your first mission without help from another rescue team."

"Really? I've never heard of that," Storm said, looking clearly confused.

"Well, Team Waterfall is coming with you. You'd make good friends; I've heard that River was talking with Daisy earlier. Except that Shade is a bit scary, he'd be way better than Eclipse." Flame chuckled and patted Daisy on the head. "I'll talk to them now." She padded over to where Shade, River, and another Pokemon were talking. Daisy realized it was a Squirtle. When Flame turned to run, River smiled at Daisy. He walked away from his teammates and rushed to her side. "Glad we're together. Shade would like you, that's for sure."

Daisy thought she saw Storm turn away from them and growl quietly, but it was probably her imagination. She walked outside with Flame waving behind them. "Good luck! Be careful!"

_Of course I'll be careful, _Daisy thought. _With another team by my side, we'd win for sure._

"Where is that cave anyway?" River asked as he walked next to Daisy.

"Not sure," Daisy said. "It might not be too far from here, though. There's only one cave in this town, right?" Storm looked confused as he rushed over to her.

"How do you know?" Shade asked before he could. "You're just a human, and you're new. You shouldn't know that already." _How does he know that I'm a human?! _Daisy gasped. Was Storm or Eclipse spreading rumors?

Storm looked as confused as she was, but he didn't say anything. He just walked on nervously. As Daisy turned to walk, she realized that the Squirtle hadn't been talking the whole trip. Maybe he'd been afraid because this was his first mission? She turned her head to talk to River.

"Is this Squirtle's first time at a mission?" she asked quietly so the Squirtle couldn't hear.

"Who? Oh, you must be talking about Blast. Yeah, he's been nervous ever since he joined my rescue team. And, the way Empoleon talked to you about you being a human?" River looked almost as confused as Daisy was.

"You heard?" Daisy asked quietly.

"Yeah. The truth is - I'm a human too. Please don't tell anyone; I hate rumors," he whispered in Daisy's ear. She flinched and took a step back. Her ears flattened.

"R-really? Then why are you Silver Rank when you only should've turned a human about a week ago?" Daisy yelled.

"Shush! Don't let anyone know, remember?" River sighed.

"You might be one of my friends or something at my school...Where'd you come from, or do you not remember?"

"Strange...the only thing I remember is my school, too." River sighed once more, almost forgetting about their mission he was so worked up in this conversation.

Before Daisy could reply, a loud noise erupted which made all of them, even Shade, flinch. A huge Charizard appeared in front of them, breathing fire deeply, and guarding the entrance to the cave.

"I thought she was talking about Charmeleons attacking her friend?" Daisy whispered to River.

"I guess this is their leader, or something," River replied. He took a step back. "That Charizard's huge..."

"What are you doing, puny Pokemon, in Blizzard Cave?" the Charizard roared, spitting out fire. River had to dodge by landing next to a rock.

"You know we can defeat you. Water's strong against fire," River pointed out.

The Charizard laughed and shook his head. "Weaknesses and resistances don't matter. All it matters is your speed and how strong you are. You need speed to dodge and attack quickly, and if you're tough, you can defeat me."

"We already know that, fool!" River spat. "Now leave! We've got a mission to handle."

Charizard just smiled as three Charmeleons appeared behind him. "And I'm guessing this is your mission?" he asked as he pointed one claw toward a screaming Poochyena on one of the Charmeleons' backs.

River snarled and leaped at the Charizard; ready to use Water Gun. But Charizard was faster. He easily dodged the attack and it hit one of the Charmeleons instead. That one was sent flying, but it just growled and used Flamethrower. River tried to dodge, but the Charmeleon was faster. He was sent flying onto a rock and hit his head.

"Careful!" Daisy hissed as she leapt toward the Charizard. This time she didn't miss; she let her claws rake against his side. Charizard managed to grab her and punch her three times in the face. He then picked her up and spun her around the air using Seismic Toss...

But Shade saved her by going up in the air and using Water Gun. Daisy was really dizzy, but not when she landed on her side in the grass. "Thanks, Shade," she sighed as she rested near Blast, who was hiding behind River. She couldn't help but giggle at his nervousness.

Charizard snarled, and then used Flamethrower on Shade. It hit him in the face, and he ran backwards. Daisy watched angrily, raking her claws against Charizard's eyes. Everyone stared at her in surprise.

She let Charizard become blind.

"AAHH! I'm blind!" Charizard screeched as he tried to use Flamethrower on them all, but Daisy was quicker. She used Tackle on him right in the face, and his eyes started bleeding worse. Finally he gave up and ran straight into a bush. Daisy giggled, but then they still had the Charmeleons to deal with.

"HELP!" the Poochyena whimpered. She tried to wriggle free from the Charmeleon's wrath, but they wouldn't let her go.

"FAINT ALREADY!" Daisy yelled as she scratched the Charmeleon holding Poochyena with her claws. She was starting to get more energy. She scratched and bit him while at the same time using Tackle on his eyes.

The Charmeleon whimpered and gave up; running into the same bush Charizard was in. He fainted.

Daisy watched Blast fighting another Charmeleon. _He's brave now, I guess. _Charmeleon managed to use Ember and Flamethrower at the same time; fainting Blast. River gasped and rushed to his side, growling at the Charmeleon. "YOU DID THIS TO HIM!" he yelled as he used Water Gun with all of the energy he could get. The Charmeleon fell face first to the ground, choking out water. He continued to cough up water, and then eventually fainted.

Shade was fighting the last Charmeleon. It was probably the weakest, since it fell to the ground and fainted with one attack. Everyone giggled a little, but then the Charmeleon shot straight up and attacked Shade with Flamethrower in his face to Daisy's surprise.

Shade fell face first on the ground, but got up weakly. He used one last Water Gun before turning to look over at Blast. "Doesn't even know how to use his attacks," he said quietly. Daisy heard anyway. She turned to protest, but then Storm got in the way.

Daisy thought he just ran away to prevent fighting the Charmeleons, but she realized he was panting. "Tried...attacking..a..S-Seviper..but it...p-poisoned...m...e..." He panted his last breath before collapsing to the ground.

"NO!" Daisy yelled. She gasped and rushed to his side.

"Now to finish him off," the Charmeleon Shade was fighting earlier smiled. He raked his claws against Storm's side, but Daisy was quick. She used Tackle on him again and again, until the Charmeleon had fainted.

Daisy smiled but then frowned. "Let's take Storm back to the Guild..." She pushed her muzzle into his fur to keep him warm. Then she turned towards the Poochyena.

"Thanks!" Poochyena said, smiling. "You saved me! I have to go back to Mother now...Can you take me to her?"

"Uh...I don't know where she is," Daisy said, sitting by Storm's side. "We also have to take Storm to the Guild."

Poochyena nodded and thought for a moment. "I'll help! By the way, Mother lives near a large lake in a grassy field. You'll know it when you get there; I'll lead you." Daisy nodded silently while putting Storm on her back. Poochyena helped carry him too.

"Lead the way," Shade grunted as he took one step back from the Poochyena.

Her and Daisy walked slowly back from the cave to the Guild. Daisy realized it was not that far from here. She looked eager as she padded a few steps quicker than her usual pace, careful not to let Storm fall off.

Finally, they reached a large lake almost the size of an ocean. Daisy drank the water for a moment, to realize it was salty. "Ugh!" she yelped and turned away. "Um, Poochyena. This is an ocean, not a lake."

Poochyena gasped and looked to see how far the ocean went. "Oh, I'm sorry! It was just a little mistake...I'm sorry! Glad I see her den right over there, though." She winked at Daisy; pointing her right paw at a tree with a hole in it. A bush was covering the entrance, making it comfortable to sleep in.

"Say, what's your name?" River asked as they were walking.

"My name-" Poochyena answered as she turned to look at him-"-is Silver."

Daisy nodded and glanced at her. "You should join one of the rescue teams. It looks like you live alone in this den with your mother."

"Oh, well, I have been thinking about starting one with me and Snow...that's her name, by the way." Silver sighed. "You don't know how hard it is to look for the Guild! It's not far, you told me, but it's so hard to find!"

"I can show you," Daisy said happily. "Help you start your own little rescue team."

"Oh, wonderful!" Silver replied eagerly. They were right at the entrance now. Daisy thought she could hear a Pokemon whimpering from the inside. Was it Snow crying about Silver?

"Crybaby," she heard Shade mutter under his breath. Silver walked straight in first, and greeted Snow with a welcome.

"You're back!" Snow purred as she let her fur brush against her friend's. "I missed you so much! I'm sorry I couldn't save you...that Charizard was too strong."

Silver smiled and looked in Snow's eyes. She dipped her head and rested her head on her paws. "It's fine," she said.

Snow looked at Daisy and gasped. "You guys saved her! I was so afraid to lose her...and you helped! Hey, are you a rescue team?"

"Yeah," Shade snorted. "Storm here-" he pointed at an unconscious Storm- "-got poisoned by a Seviper. He just needs the right medicine to survive."

_And River thought Shade would like me! In fact, he doesn't really like anyone! _Daisy sighed and shuffled her paws nervously. He wasn't as rude as Eclipse, but something about him didn't seem right...

Her thoughts ended when Silver raced out of the den. "Come on, let's go! We need to find the Guild!" She ran in circles happily until Snow came bursting out of the den laughing. Following her was Shade, Daisy, River, Storm, and Blast. Blast had finally woken up, Daisy noticed.

They padded across the grass until the den was out of sight. Daisy looked on nervously as Storm was still resting on her back. They'd need to get out of here soon before Storm died. Daisy wanted to die herself at those words. Storm was a part of her rescue team; he couldn't die!

Finally the ocean disappeared in sight too, and they reached a town. Daisy padded into the town happily and looked over at her friends. "We're here."

An old broken sign was in the middle of the clearing, saying 'EARTH TOWN'. Daisy looked past that and realized there wasn't a Guild in sight. "I'm guessing there's a hospital around here that heals Pokemon?"

"Actually, there is a place to heal Pokemon," Shade exclaimed, suddenly wanting to talk. "I just don't know what a hospital is. Another human word?"

Daisy shot a glare at him, but didn't speak. She just asked: "So where is it?"

"Follow me." Shade took her past the sign and they finally reached a big clearing that looked like a field. There was a building in one section, and another building in the other. Daisy realized one of them said 'THE HEALING CENTER' in big blue letters. The other was probably just a place to work, she thought. Shade didn't take the lead this time; instead Silver raced past them and skidded to a stop right in front of the glass doors.

"Wow, she's hyper." Daisy chuckled to herself and went to the doors a bit more slowly. She opened them and right in front of her was a large brown desk with a Clefairy sitting on a pink cushion. There were five couches on each side of the room; two Pokemon sitting on one of them. Snow and Silver ran first; collapsing on one of the couches to rest.

Shade laughed and went up to the desk to talk to Clefairy. "Hello. Storm here-" he pointed to the Jolteon resting on Daisy's back- "-got poisoned by a Seviper. We don't know if he's dead or not, but it looks like he's breathing."

"Barely." Clefairy sighed and looked the Jolteon over. "Go sit on the couch while I look at him. It looks like he's only got a few minutes left before he dies." Daisy gasped and stared at Storm. Would they be able to save him in time?

Her thoughts were cut off as Shade and the others were already seated on the couch. "Come on!" River yelled to Daisy. "What are you thinking about?" Daisy sighed and went up the couch. She lay down next to River and looked at Clefairy and Storm. If he wasn't helped, then she would be left without a rescue team...She growled at the thought.

"Something wrong?" Snow asked, seated on her other side. Daisy shook her head, not wanting to tell her her thoughts. She sighed and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep, but then she realized the Clefairy might be done in a few moments. She raised her head to see what was happening between them.

"Don't worry," Clefairy said to Storm even though she knew that he was unconscious."This'll be done in a few minutes!" She raised a big blue cup, and if Daisy squinted with her eyes, she could tell it was medicine. The Clefairy poured the medicine onto the place where Seviper bit him. It seemed as if it were healing quickly, the scratches were slightly disappearing.

Daisy smiled to herself. Storm had been saved, and he was breathing normally now; but still unconscious. Clefairy realized she was staring and walked over. "I'm all finished! Storm's back to normal. He'll wake up in a few minutes and everything will be back to normal; just wait."

Daisy cheered along with the others. Even Snow and Silver did; they never even met Storm before. Daisy looked happily at the bundle of yellow fur as he slowly opened his eyes. He got the strength to sit up and look at Daisy. Then he stared at Snow and Silver. "Who are you two?" he asked.

"I'm Snow, and this is Silver," the Mightyena explained. "Your friends saved Silver from those Charmeleons!"

Storm smiled and looked at Daisy. "You guys finished the mission without me? No, I'm just kidding."

Daisy giggled and turned towards Silver. "I think it's time for us to go to the Guild for your first rescue team!"

Silver ran in circles happily. "Yay!" Snow smiled and licked Silver behind the ear; then walked out of the healing center without Daisy's permission. Shade and the others followed, and finally they were out of the big building.

"I think I see the Guild over there," Storm said, pointing with his paw to a big building with a grate in front of it.

"Yep, that's it. The grate gives it away. Come on!" Shade yelled at the others. He ran towards the big building, but Snow and Silver were quick. They got in front of him and reached there instead. Shade sighed.

Daisy knew they were being too hyper, and they'd want their first mission right away. She laughed, and when they finally reached the grate, she stepped on it.

"Pokemon detecting! Pokemon detecting! Whose footprint? Whose footprint? The footprint is...um...the foot print is Umbreon's! The footprint is Umbreon's!" a voice said. Daisy flinched, but continued her grip on the grate.

"Sentry Diglett still needs to get used to you," Shade chuckled. As soon as everyone stepped on the grate, they walked on and were quickly greeted by Flame.

"Hello! I see you're back from the rescue mission!" she started, but then Eclipse barged in.

"What took you so long?" he growled.

"Well, Storm got poisoned by a Seviper. We had to take him to the healing center. And Snow and Silver here-" she pointed to the Poochyena and Mightyena- "-wants to start their own rescue team. We were talking about it."

Eclipse nodded silently. He grinned stupidly at Storm, probably because he wanted to see him fail and he sort of did. Daisy sighed. Finally Flame spoke: "That's okay! Clefairy is good at healing others. Now, come over here, Snow and Silver."

"I want my rescue team to be called-" Silver started, but Flame interrupted her.

"Sorry, you can't name you rescue team. We name it for you." Silver sighed but nodded, and waited for her rescue team to be named. "We'll call it...Team Flash!"

"What does Flash have to do anything?" Silver asked.

"It's just a team name," Eclipse grumbled.

"Well, I think it's perfect." Snow smiled and looked at Eclipse.

Daisy looked around. River, Shade, and Blast were gone. She then looked happily at Storm. This mission at Blizzard Cave was the first mission she had ever taken.


	5. Chapter 4: The Haunted Floor

"Dinner time!" a voice cried out at the Pokemon in the Guild. Daisy sighed and got up from her position. She had just woken up from her nap yesterday and now she was going to eat dinner. How starving she was! Daisy sat on the nearest table next to River, Shade, and Blast; then sat next to Storm.

"Hi," said Storm as he yawned. He curled up on one of the cushions that were supposed to be chairs to sit down on, and eyed Daisy happily. "I'm so tired...I hope we don't have to do a mission until later."

"I doubt we will. You'll probably be wide awake by the time dinner is over," Daisy replied. She looked at River, who was sitting next to Blast. They were deep in conversation. Eclipse was up looking at all of the Pokemon sitting at the table. _Stop acting like you're the boss, _Daisy wanted to yell at him. But if she did she'd probably get in trouble.

She ate her food, which was spaghetti and meatballs. It tasted good… She hadn't had spaghetti in a while. A couple hours later, Flame rung a bell. Everyone stopped to look at what she was doing.

"Alright everyone, dinner is over! Time to go back to your missions." Daisy nodded silently and looked at Eclipse. He was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Daisy went to the mission board to check if she had any to handle.

All of a sudden, a strong wind swept through the clearing. Everyone turned around to see what was happening. Daisy looked shocked, and looked at the door. It seemed to be opening by itself.

The wind knocked plates off of the table and chairs went flying. Each Pokemon tried to hang on to something, but that seemed to fly off too. Daisy gasped; even Eclipse seemed scared. When she was looking around for Storm, he was nowhere to be found. She walked out of the door easily since the pull of the wind seemed to take her there. She saw the most incredible thing in the world: Storm was flying in the sky!

Daisy laughed so hard she almost cried. But she was also scared that Storm might be lost forever. If the wind took him away, he'd be gone. So she ran as fast as she could, the other Pokemon calling out to her. She started flying in the air too, and tried to keep her balance. Storm was almost right next to her...

She grabbed his paw, and he blushed. Daisy growled as she tried to get down from the sky with all of her energy. As she fell to the ground, the last thing she saw was Storm before everything went black.

***

Daisy woke up and looked around. _Strange, I didn't have a dream today...I usually always do. _She pulled herself from the ground and looked up to see a cut on her shoulder. She licked it clean and turned towards Storm. He seemed to be panting heavily, but awake.

"Uh...we better be heading back towards the Guild. I hope they're all okay. What was that wind about anyway?" she asked.

But Storm was not staring at her, and he didn't reply. Instead he pointed his paw towards a huge dark gray cloud. "I think there's a storm coming. We've only been sleeping for an hour or two. I wonder what the wind was supposed to be about..."

Daisy shrugged, and walked away. She saw the Guild in the clearing, so she wasn't that far away from it. But as she squinted with her eyes, she realized every single Pokemon was out there talking with Flame.

"I swear I saw a comet before I blacked out in the clouds!" Blast whispered to River.

"QUIET!" Eclipse yelled, and flicked his tail over Blast's mouth. "We don't know what the wind means...and I think Flame saw a comet too. But, if you report any other storms with a comet, we'd have to figure something out." He stalked away back into the Guild, everyone following.

Daisy trembled as she sat next to Storm near the elevator. "I'm going to get some sleep, okay? I'm tired from that huge storm...And I think I saw a comet in my dream." She shuffled her paws nervously. "If this means the same thing, then I don't know what I'll do."

Storm nodded, and followed her. He wanted to fall asleep too, Daisy thought. But Daisy was so drowsy, as she was busy looking at random buttons, she clicked a red one. Daisy widened her eyes...wasn't that the Floor 6 button?

Storm looked at her in shock, and took a step back. Seconds passed...Daisy sighed in relief, maybe she didn't actually press it after all... As soon as she saw that, the elevator shot straight up, and it would've taken a second even if Floor 6 was as tall as the Empire State Building.

They were heading towards the haunted room.

Daisy suddenly got dizzy, as the elevator moved faster and faster. Finally in a couple of seconds, it stopped and the door opened without her or Storm pressing any button. Daisy put her paw against the floor slowly, and stepped out without any noise. Storm followed and headed into the dark room.

The walls, the ceiling, and the floor were pitch black. There was a white desk on one corner and a white bed on the other. "Maybe a Pokemon used to live here before they died in this room?" Daisy questioned. She took a step towards the desk, and sat on the grey swivel chair to see what would happen.

She gasped as the chair started spinning all on its own. Storm ran over to her, but the chair was so fast it made them both dizzy. Suddenly, Daisy spun out of the chair and collapsed on the floor. It took her a couple of minutes to wake up. "Ugh...what was that?" she finally asked.

"I-I don't know." Storm looked stunned. He turned to leave, but when he noticed Daisy wasn't following her, he turned to look at her and widened his eyes. There was a huge orb right in front of her! "Run, Daisy!" Storm grabbed the scruff of her neck and ran as fast as he could toward the elevator, away from the haunted floor.

But as soon as they were about to jump in the elevator, it had already opened. A Houndoom came out and snarled at them. Eclipse. Daisy sighed; of course it had to be him. "What are you doing?" he growled. "I was about to go to my room to sleep until it ended up here. Didn't I tell you not to go to Floor 6?"

"It was an accident!" Daisy said, taking a step back. "I was so tired I accidentally clicked on the red button."

Eclipse glared at her, like he didn't believe her. But he nodded and said, "Let's get out of here. We don't want that orb to kill us or something." He grunted and turned to leave, but the elevator was closed. Even when he pressed the button to open it, it didn't work.

They were stuck!

Daisy gasped as Eclipse tried to punch the button 100 times, but still it didn't work. _I must come to talk to you..._ something whispered in her head. She tried to look for the orb, but it disappeared. The voice had gone along with it. "What was that?" Daisy asked quietly so no one could hear. Eclipse and Storm didn't look like they heard the voice, but she really wanted to know what the voice wanted to talk about. Was it Gardevoir?

"We got to get out of here!" Storm yelled, punching the numbers along with Eclipse.

Eclipse just growled at him. "I can do it myself, you know."

"Punching numbers isn't going to work," Daisy pointed out. "Just stop and wait. For all we know, the elevator could be just having problems and Flame is going to work on it."

Eclipse looked at her, ready to argue, but he stopped and then nodded. "I guess. It's useless, nothing will work." Sighing, he pressed himself against the elevator. "We're trapped until we find a way out."

Daisy growled to herself. This was the last thing she wanted. It seemed like an hour before a loud noise was heard and a team of Pokemon appeared in front of them. ""What is this?" it growled. River! Daisy sighed happily as she rushed to his side. "We're trapped. Hurry and go in the elevator before it shuts!"

River nodded and rushed to the elevator, pushing the button floor 1. Daisy was next to Storm's side. She sighed in relief as the elevator moved quickly towards floor one and it seemed like only five seconds when the elevator opened. They padded through the door and looked around. It seemed regular, like always. Suddenly, Eclipse's voice echoed loudly in the clearing.

"Flame, Daisy and Storm have a lot to tell you." Eclipse grumbled to the Charizard, and pointed with his tail towards the two Pokemon. Daisy growled; she hated Eclipse so much right now. He was going to get them in big trouble all the time!

"What's happened?" Flame looked worried, not angry. Daisy smiled; maybe they could get out of it this time. Besides, that was an accident to press the floor 6 button.

Storm spoke before Daisy could open her mouth. "We were so drowsy; we accidentally pressed the floor 6 button and not our own room. It was so scary up there; I think it really is haunted."

Flame nodded, and looked at the two curiously. "Well, try not to press it again okay? We don't want you to get hurt or anything. Floor 6 is one of the haunted floors in the world."

"You mean, there's more than just spinning chairs and a white orb up there?" Daisy whispered.

Flame chuckled. "Of course there is. You probably just got lucky and saw something that isn't that bad. I went up there, saw worse than you, and boy was I freaking out..." she shuddered. "You got trapped up there? That's what happened to me too. It was probably just the elevator broken, but turns out, it wasn't. Now this was when I wasn't Guild leader."

Daisy flinched. "I hope I never make that same mistake again..."

"Don't worry. If you do, nothing in the Haunted Floor will hurt you. It might act like it's about to hurt you, like a knife that moves on its own and stops inches away from your arm. But it doesn't happen. I wish I knew the secret that's going on in Floor 6, but I'm not sure. Everyone's still trying to figure it out. No one knows who died in there, but it was an odd Cyndaquil..." She walked away, leaving Eclipse, Daisy, and Storm alone.

"Humph," Eclipse said, feeling angry that Flame didn't punish Team Darkened Thunder. They shouldn't have gone up there.

"What?" Storm growled, turning around to face him.

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "She should've punished you. You've been causing lots of trouble, you know. You deserve a big punishment." He flicked his devil-ish tail and stalked away.

"I hate him so much," Daisy told Storm.

Storm nodded, glaring back at the Houndoom. "I hope he's not...evil or something." He sighed. When Daisy looked at him, he seemed lost in space. Not wanting to disturb him, she walked away, trying to find Team Flash to see what they were up to.

"DAISY! STORM! DAISY! STORM!" screamed a voice. A Poochyena tripped over the Umbreon, startling her. "Sorry!" she squeaked. It was Silver.

Another Mightyena was following her. She laughed when she noticed Silver and Daisy sprawled across the floor. "Silver, you don't have to be that excited, you know."

"What's going on?" Storm asked, rushing up to Daisy.

"We've gotten our first rescue mission!" Silver screeched. "Come look at what the letter says." She sprinted towards the mission board, and pointed her paw at words written in red. It didn't go well with the background, but they could still read it.  
_HELP!_  
I'm a Pikachu. I just got attacked by a bunch of Raichus who taunted me for not being strong. Right now I'm in Smoky Woods. They have me cornered next to a tree, and I can't escape. I'm no match for those Pokemon. Can someone help me?

Daisy squinted hard at the words. "Wow. That seems like a tough mission. Are you sure you want to do it alone? You're only a Poochyena and a Mightyena."

"Snow is strong," Silver snapped. "Of course we'll be able to defeat the Raichus. We can do it alone."

"Do you even know where Smoky Woods is?" Storm asked.

Silver nodded. "I think we passed it on our way to the Guild. I'm sure we'll be able to find it."

Daisy didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. "Alright. Good luck. Are you leaving now?"

Silver bounced around the room. "Yep! I can't wait; I'm so excited! I'll show those Raichus what I'm made of!" With that, she bounced out the doors next to Snow. Daisy looked at them and sighed, hoping they would be fine. This was their first mission.

A bell rang, startling her. This must be the dinner bell. Daisy then realized how hungry she was. She walked to the dinner table and sat in a random chair next to a Ninetails. When she stared at the Pokemon, she realized it was Skye, Eclipse's rescue team partner.

Skye glared down at her. "What are you looking at?"

"Sorry," Daisy said, snapping back into reality and eating the food that came to her. It seemed to be pancakes with syrup. Yummy.

When she was finished, she pushed back her chair and heard a squeak. "What the heck?" she said, looking behind her chair. A tiny Vulpix was seated there, licking one of her legs.

"You hurt Moon!" Skye growled, getting out of her seat to comfort the poor Vulpix.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize she was behind me," Daisy quickly replied. She expected Skye to act like Eclipse, but to her surprise, she nodded.

"It's alright. Moon likes to sneak under chairs sometimes. She's a bit strange, but she's smart and tough. She's another team member of my rescue team, known as Team Darkness. Eclipse's also in it, just so you know. We're a pretty strong team, despite the Vulpix. We're almost Ultra Rank. After we're that rank, we'll be graduating."

Moon and Skye seemed pretty nice, but Daisy was glad that were going to graduate. She didn't want Eclipse to boss them around anymore. Besides, she didn't know Moon and Skye that much. If they didn't become friends, she wouldn't be that sad when they graduated.

Daisy glanced out the window. The stars were just poking out of the clouds. It was nighttime already. _I just hope Snow and Silver will be safe. I can't stop thinking about them... _She sighed, and pressed the button that said Floor 18. Storm followed.

Plopping onto her bed, she hoped she didn't have any dreams. But of course she did.

That night, she dreamed about Floor 6. She was in the room again. This time the chair was spinning and there was a white orb coming straight at her. It was holding a knife. Daisy couldn't scream nor move. She just sat there with her mouth open, freaked out.

Luckily, the white orb disappeared inches from her neck. A ghostly Cyndaquil appeared in front of her. It looked as big as a Quilava. It opened its mouth to say words, but nothing came out. And that was when the dream ended.

Daisy woke up with a start, glad she didn't scream. _Was that the Cyndaquil Flame was talking about? _she thought nervously. Then she glanced out her window, hoping for no scary images.

Good, it was normal. But it was still pitch-black outside, which meant it wasn't morning. Daisy wanted to close the window curtain so badly, but she was afraid something would appear. So she closed her eyes under the covers, careful not to fall asleep and have that same dream again.

~

"WAKE UP!" Exploud yelled, right in Storm's face. He said the same words to Daisy, who blinked her eyes and coughed.

She was really tired. The only time she slept was when she had that dream. After she woke up from the nightmare, she didn't sleep again. She got up anyway and went to Floor One to say the pledge. This time, she had it memorized.

_Forever we will protect, and keep safe, all Pokemon- good or bad._

_Never will we back down from a fight, no matter how tough or how weak, the Pokemon is._

_We will keep moving forward, until victory is achieved. __Because__ we are rescue teams, and that's what we do._

_Forever we will protect the balance of space, time, darkness, and light._

_Forever we will protect all Pokemon."_

Daisy finished it easily, and held her head high proudly. Only then did she realize Snow and Silver weren't there. _They've been in the forest all night? That must be horrible..._ she thought. _God, I hope they're okay... I hope I don't look worried. _Everyone seemed to be staring at her, probably because of her face.

She sighed, trying to keep the Poochyena and Mightyena out of her mind. They were probably done with the mission already, just resting for the night. Daisy couldn't believe they'd walk in the Guild during nighttime. Something couldn't be wrong. Her worried face changed to a normal face. Right then, she thought about Floor 6.

"Hey, Daisy!" said a Buizel, blocking her thoughts. River.

"Oh, hi, River," said Daisy. "What's up?"

"The sky!" River said, laughing. He seemed to be in a cheerful mood. "I've been wondering. Do you want to go on a walk? I've been having these nightmares about Floor 6, and I wanted to talk to you about it."

Daisy flinched as if something had hit her. "I've been having those same dreams! Did it only happen yesterday night?"

River nodded. "Be quiet. I don't want anyone else to hear." He walked out the doors, looking back to see if Daisy was following.

Storm stared back at them from his place in the middle of the floor. Quickly, he followed them.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his eyes glaring at River.

"Probably the Golden Hills," River replied, glaring back.

_What is his problem? _thought Daisy. Whenever Storm was with River, he looked like he wanted to fight him or something. Daisy wondered why.

"Well, can I come with?" Storm asked.

This time, River stepped in front of Daisy. "No. Why can't any Pokemon have private conversations with someone, Storm?" he hissed.

Again, Daisy flinched. She tried not to say anything. Who would she try to defend, Storm or River?

Storm flexed his claws. "Why can't I come with?" he growled.

"BECAUSE YOU CAN'T!" River yelled, loud enough to shake the Guild. "Listen, why can't we be alone together? I just wanted to talk to her about something. Don't you dare think it's _romance_." He spat out the word angrily.

Storm seemed to be convinced. "Fine. But next time you two try to go on a walk together, I'm coming with." He turned around and stalked away.

River looked at Daisy. "Sorry about that. I don't know why Storm hates me so much. That's the only reason why I argued back."

Daisy nodded. "I'm not too sure about that either..." she replied, acting a little confused. "So are we headed towards Golden Hills or what?"

"Right," River said, coughing. "So, do you know what that nightmare about Floor 6 means?"

Daisy shook her head. "I don't get it. It was when I came to that floor, too. This time, though, there was a white orb with a knife in its hand. It disappeared inches away from my neck, and I couldn't move."

River nodded. "Same here. I was really freaking out there..." he sighed, looking up at the morning sky. The sun was just coming up.

_Is it just me or did I see a Cyndaquil over there in those bushes, looking at us?_ Daisy thought. She began to speed up her pace a little. River looked confused, but followed her in silence.

"So...um..." River started. "That was really all I came to talk about. Want to head back?"

Daisy nodded. "I don't care. I thought we wanted to come for Golden Hills, but alright."

River nodded, turning around. Suddenly he screamed. Daisy spun around to find what River was screaming at. She also screamed.

Standing right in front of them, inches from their face, was a Quilava-sized Cyndaquil with a knife.


	6. Chapter 5: Team Flash is Missing

Daisy froze in shock, looking at the Cyndaquil with a knife in its mouth. It moved towards her and River very slowly, seeming to float off the ground. Daisy blinked her eyes, trying to make out the picture she was seeing.

Yep. It was the same Cyndaquil from her dream. Panicking, Daisy tried to find a place to escape. But if they ever tried to go back to the Guild, it wouldn't work. The Cyndaquil was blocking their path. The Umbreon backed away.

Suddenly, she thought of something. Daisy knew that Flame said knifes disappeared when they were inches away from your body. Maybe the Cyndaquil would disappear right when he was about to stab the two. Daisy didn't feel so worried anymore, but she still felt herself trembling.

She looked over at River. He was also trembling. He wasn't screaming anymore, but she could tell how freaked out he was. Then she glanced back at the Cyndaquil. She widened her eyes when she heard a growl come from his throat.

_Don't be afraid of me. I will not hurt you._

"Then what's with the knife?" Daisy growled. Her fur bristled. She could not trust this Pokemon.

But he could not answer. He was only inches away from her face now, and that was when he disappeared. This time, though, he just faded. Daisy watched as the Cyndaquil's paws, legs, body, arms, neck, and finally his head disappeared into nothing. She stared in awe at the place he'd been before.

"What was that?" River whispered so quietly Daisy could barely hear.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that that's the Cyndaquil from Floor 6." Daisy's fur stayed bristled, and she didn't look at River. Then slowly she padded away back to Earth Town. River followed, and they walked in silence.

When they got back to the Guild, everything was peaceful. It was like nothing bad had happened at all. Of course, the rescue teams probably didn't see the ghost of Cyndaquil.

There were still many questions to be answered. Why Cyndaquil had only come to River and Daisy. Was it because they were both humans or what? Daisy tried to get the thoughts to the back of her mind when she heard Eclipse talking with Flame. Curious, she eavesdropped on the conversation from a distance.

"This was their first mission," Eclipse growled to the Charizard. "I told you we should've let another team come with them. They could be killed by the Raichus. Why aren't they back yet?"

"Relax," Flame told him. "It usually takes a while for a mission to be completed. Most of the time, it takes a couple of days. I know a lot of Pokemon at Smoky Woods, you know. They aren't strong enough to defeat Snow and Silver, but it would take a while for just one battle to be over. Why do you think they're dead?"

Eclipse only shook his head. "Look, Flame. That mission's dang easy, which is why we let Snow and Silver take it. You didn't listen to me when I told you to have another rescue team come with them. It's not easy enough to let a beginner team take alone. I just had to listen to you because you're the boss. What I believe is that they're fainted somewhere in the woods and we should send someone to look for them."

"No, Eclipse. We'll send a rescue team after a couple of days has passed. Right now, they're probably almost at the group of Raichus. I'm sure everything will be fine, okay? This conversation is over."

The Houndoom flicked his tail angrily, but he decided to dip his head and leave. When he passed Daisy staring at him, he growled. "What are you looking at?"

Daisy didn't answer. She had just thought about Snow and Silver for the first time in a long time. When Eclipse continued staring at her, she sighed. "Nothing." Then she padded away.

It was late afternoon when Daisy woke up from her nap in the room. She was exhausted that she didn't get enough sleep last night, and wanted to make up for it. Luckily, there were no dreams this time.

Daisy yawned and stretched, whistling softly as she walked up to the elevator. She pressed the button 'Floor One'. It immediantly took her to the room. Storm was right in front of the elevator, and he glanced at her.

"What were you doing?" he asked her, confused. "Were you in Floor 6 again?"

"No," Daisy snapped, a bit more rude than it was meant to be. "Of course not! Why would I be in that haunted room?" She quickly got out of the elevator before it could close again. "Anyway, I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I decided to fall asleep in our room this afternoon."

Storm nodded. "Well, it's almost dinnertime. I was worried where you were, so I was just about to go up the elevator to Floor 18 when you came out just in time." He laughed. Daisy laughed back.

Sure enough, the bell rang for dinner. Daisy sprinted towards the chair where she always sat. This time, she would try to remember if Moon was hiding behind her seat. The food before her were scrambled eggs. _Why do they give us breakfast food? Do they not know the difference? _she thought as she ate.

When she was done, she looked behind her chair for Moon. There was no Vulpix hiding, but she did recongnize Moon under Skye's seat. She giggled a little where Moon was lying down.

"What?" Skye asked, realizing Daisy was laughing at her.

"Moon's under your seat," Daisy warned her. "Be careful getting out of it."

Skye giggled, also. "I know that already. She always hides under my chair. I guess the only reason why she hid under yours is because she likes you."

Moon immediantly got out. "I'm not a little baby," she snapped. Daisy was surprised by her tone.

Skye ignored it. "Why aren't you eating your dinner?" she asked. There was an empty chair next to her with cold scrambled eggs. What a waste of good food.

"I don't like scrambled eggs," said Moon in a baby-ish voice. Daisy wondered why she was almost a Silver Rank member of a team when she acted so much like a baby. Skye treated her like a mother, too.

"That's okay." Skye dropped out of her seat to pat her on the head with a paw. "You have to eat some food, though, or you'll starve."

"I had breakfast!" Moon told her, loud enough to make everyone stare at her. Eclipse got out of his chair to glare at the young Vulpix.

"Moon, you eat your food or you won't be a member of Team Darkness anymore." He flicked his tail and left the dinner table without another word.

Moon immediantly fell silent and hopped onto her chair to eat. "It's too cold," she told Skye when she had the first bite.

Skye sighed. "I'm sorry, but it's too late to heat it up now. Dinner's almost over."

Sure enough, the bell rang again. Moon had to get out of her seat to go to bed. _Isn't Team Darkness' bedroom Floor 5? They must hear a lot of noises from the place above..._ Daisy shuddered to have a bedroom next to a haunted floor. That would be horrible.

"Attention, everyone!" a voice yelled into the air. Daisy skidded to a stop when she was about to go to her floor with Storm. She glanced at the place behind her, noticing Flame and Eclipse looming above the Pokemon.

Flame spoke again. "Eclipse has convinced me to send two rescue teams to look for Team Flash. He thinks they have gone missing, since they have been on their mission for quite a while. It's a pretty easy one, too. I believe I should go look for them since I'm the strongest. While I am gone, Team Darkness will take charge." She gazed at Moon and Skye while they came up next to Eclipse.

"I want you to do what a boss does, okay?" she told the team. "Make sure nothing goes wrong, or I'll hear about it." She held her head high and glanced back at the rescue teams. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll be back soon, don't you worry." And she was out the doors a split second later.

Daisy dipped her head and growled to herself. It was bad enough Team Darkness was in charge, Eclipse would pretty make them do stupid stuff. He might not even send them out to do a rescue team until Flame came back.

"Alright, everyone," Eclipse growled, glaring at the crowd of Pokemon. "We're in charge now. If Flame comes back without Team Flash, _I _will choose a search party." He smiled and walked up to the elevator. "Everyone is dismissed to go to their floors and go to bed. Don't try to break the rules or I will punish you." He flicked his tail, and pressed button five with Moon and Skye. With that, they were gone.

Daisy and Storm sighed as they went to their own room. They would have to face the wrath of Team Darkness for what might be a long time. At least Skye and Moon weren't that bad. If only Eclipse was nicer...

She tried not to think about it as she curled up on her bed. Right then she thought about the dream with Floor 6. _Great. If I get another dream related to that room, I swear I'll never sleep again. _She closed her eyes anyway, hoping for a good dream or nothing at all...

Sure enough, Daisy had a nightmare. This time she was in the elevator in front of the red button called Floor 6. She pressed it without hesitation and grinned at herself. When she got into the room, it was horrifying.

Blood was on the walls and ceiling. There were posters of dead Pokemon with knifes in their necks and arms. To make matters worse, there was a Cyndaquil poster in the middle of it all, staring at Daisy wherever she went.

The real Daisy couldn't control herself. She was still smiling. With blood on her paws from the room, she wrote on the wall: "Zeke". Then she started floating off the ground. Daisy tried to scream, but she was still possessed by something unusual.

She floated until she was right next to the poster of Cyndaquil. He grinned and blood poured from his mouth. Gasping, Daisy was able to control herself again, but she was still floating. The Cyndaquil's arms came out of the poster and hugged Daisy until she was sucked into the poster.

_Join me,_ said a voice before the dream faded into darkness.

Daisy screamed when she awoke from the terrible nightmare. She knew she couldn't trust the ghostly Cyndaquil. He had told her yesterday he wasn't evil...but this dream told her otherwise. Which one was right? And when she was possessed, what was this name known as 'Zeke' that she wrote?

Storm opened his eyes and blinked. He looked over at Daisy's bed. "What was that? I heard a scream," he said, his eyes widened.

"I don't know what it was," Daisy lied, trying to sound curious and afraid. "But why isn't Exploud here yet?"

Storm looked out the window. He nearly fainted on the spot.

"What's wrong?" Daisy gasped, keeping her eyes locked on him, not the window.

Storm didn't answer. She came over to him and poked him, and he weakly sat up. "Look. out. the. window," he told her nervously, as if he really didn't want her to.

Daisy was afraid for her life. Very slowly, she turned her head to look at the haunted window, ready for the worst...

There were no ghosts or no Cyndaquils to frighten her. But on the window, she saw the words written in blood.

Zeke.

"WAKE UP! WAKE-" Exploud charged into the room, realizing that Storm and Daisy were already sitting on their beds. "WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? COME DOWN! WE'RE WAITING FOR YOU!"

Daisy nodded, trying not to let Exploud glance at the window. She and Storm both trekked out the door to Floor One. Daisy seemed surprised to see Eclipse standing in Flame's spot. Then she remembered: Flame was gone, and Eclipse was in charge for now.

Together they spoke the pledge quietly. "LOUDER!" Eclipse snapped, frightening most of the Pokemon.

When the pledge was over, they all went to the breakfast table to eat. Eclipse, though, walked directly in front of Daisy and Storm. "Why were you so late?" he growled. "We were about to say the pledge without you!"

"We're sorry, but we were too tired. I guess yesterday night we were wide awake, so we stayed up," Daisy said, making up a bunch of lies.

Eclipse looked like he didn't agree with her, but he nodded and went back to the table.

After they ate in peace, Daisy walked over to the missions board, looking bored. She was just about to ask Eclipse if they could go on a mission when River came bouncing up to her.

"Hey!" he said. "Want to go to Golden Hills again? I don't want to talk about Floor 6 this time...but maybe something else," he pointed out.

Daisy thought about the arguement with Storm and River right before they had left for their other walk. She hesitated, then said, "Alright." Hopefully Storm wasn't watching them right now.

Together they padded out of the Guild and past the sign that led to Earth Town. They were heading into the golden fields, that were right next to Golden Hills. Daisy wondered what they would do at the hills. She just remembered that River was a human like her... Should she talk to him about that? Did she know him in her human life?

River skidded to a stop, and Daisy did too. They both looked up at the hills that were known as Golden Hills. It was so beautiful...Smoky Woods were right next to it, too. Daisy wondered what Flame was doing right now, and if Snow and Silver were okay.

The Buizel made the first move. He raced up Golden Hills with Daisy excitedly. When they reached the top, they looked at the sky before them. The sun was poking out from a bunch of clouds. Dark clouds. Was it going to storm? _Great. Ruining my perfect moment._

"I think it's going to storm," River told Daisy. He seemed to have noticed it too. "We should go."

Daisy nodded awkwardly and traveled down the huge hill to go back to the Guild. They were right next to the grate which they were used to now when it started to pour. The rain pounded on her back as she stepped on the grate. The usual happened; Sentry Diglett examining her footprint.

When they got in, everyone was talking about Team Flash and Flame. "What will happen to them? They're still in Smoky Woods, and it's starting to hail badly. They might be killed by the hail." She overheard another one say, "It might sleet, too."

Daisy sighed, shaking herself to get the wet rain off of her. A piece of hail was on her back, and she picked it up with her mouth. _What the heck? It's blue._ She dropped the hail and gazed at it curiously. Then she picked it up again and went to Floor 18, trying not to draw any Pokemon from it.

"Hey, what's that in your mouth?" Moon asked, padding up to her.

Daisy looked at her, startled. "Oh, nothing important. I just found it outside and I wanted to keep it." Before Moon could say anything else, the elevator opened and she pressed button 18. The Umbreon then jerked back. Moon was in the elevator with her!

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but you can't go in an elevator with someone."

"But I like that blue stone!" Moon cried. She squinted a little, then cocked her head, as if she was confused. "Wait. Is that hail?"

Daisy quickly thought up of a lie. "No, it's a blue stone that looks like hail. It's not, Moon. Please don't take it or anything, either. It's mine."

Moon seemed to be convinced. She walked backwards and sat down next to the wall. When the elevator opened to Daisy's room, she stayed there until the Umbreon came back.

Daisy put the blue stone safely under her blanket. Good thing it didn't have a glow, or Storm might see it and also be curious. She looked at the black blanket for a while, then got up and walked to the elevator.

Moon was laying down with her head on her paws. She got up and looked at Daisy, a gleam in her eye. "Where'd you put it?" she asked.

"I can't tell you, or else you might find it and steal it," Daisy replied, chuckling a little.

"Come on," said Moon. "I don't even know your room number. What it is, Floor 8? Or was that Team Waterfall's floor?" She giggled. "See, I don't know."

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. I put it under my blanket. Don't tell Storm - don't even tell him about the stone, okay?"

Moon nodded. "I promise." She looked at the elevator, which didn't seem to be stopping. Strange. The elevator should've stopped and they should've been on Floor One already.

A ghostly Cyndaquil blocked the doors of the elevator with a knife in his hand, smiling at Daisy. Daisy screamed and backed away, completely forgetting Moon was there.

"What's wrong?" the Vulpix asked, cocking her head again.

"D-don't you see that?" Daisy stammered, pointing her paw at the elevator door.

Moon glanced at it. "Nope. Maybe it's your imagination? I see things all the time that aren't actually real."

But Daisy knew it wasn't. The Cyndaquil was moving closer and closer until it was inches away from her face. The knife wasn't pointed at her, which was odd.

_I'm not going to hurt you. Please don't be afraid of me,_ it said with a hint of anger in its voice. The knife finally pointed at her neck, but that was when he disappeared.

"He must be lying," Daisy said out loud. "He has to be."

"What?" asked Moon. She gazed at Daisy with curiousity in her tone.

Daisy shook her head. "Nothing, Moon, nothing... Hey, when's the elevator going to stop?"

Moon's fur bristled. She had forgotten that they were in an elevator. "I don't know...I think we're trapped."

Daisy immediantly screamed. "HELP! WE'RE TRAPPED!" _Wow, I shouldn't have said that...I feel like an idiot right now..._

But Moon decided to scream too. Pretty soon they were both screaming until their voice cracked and they couldn't speak again.

Daisy didn't know if they were fixing the broken elevator, but she heard a lot of voices outside. One that sounded like, "I'm coming! I'll help you!" Was it Eclipse? She doubted it. It was probably Skye or something. She couldn't make out the voice since it was so quiet. Sighing, Daisy lay down to look at her paws. Moon did the same.

It seemed like hours before their call was finally answered. The elevator began to move again, and they were back on Floor One. Everyone was crowding around them, asking questions. Apparently, they didn't know what it felt like to be trapped in an elevator.

"You guys need escalators," River hissed at Eclipse by mistake.

Eclipse ignored him, walking up until he was next to Daisy and Moon. "Moon, why were you with Daisy?"

Moon looked down at her paws, and then stared at Daisy.

"She just wanted to check out my room," Daisy told him quickly, saving the day.

Eclipse cocked his head as if he didn't believe her. Then he nodded, and walked away. "I don't want Moon in your room anymore," he called. "She belongs to Floor 5, and Floor 5 only." He whispered something in Skye's ear, looking in Daisy's direction. Then he walked back to them.

"I have a mission for you," he told them. "If Flame doesn't come back in two days, Team Darkened Thunder is going to look for her and Team Flash. Okay? But I obviously cannot trust you to go alone, so Team Sun will come with."

"Who's that?" Daisy questioned. Eclipse ignored her, flicking his tail and walking away. _Wow, he's nice._

The dinner bell rang, making Daisy jump in the air. She was so lost in thought she didn't remember it was supposed to be dinner.

Daisy walked into her chair last. Luckily, no one stole her seat. Skye grinned at her unlikely while eating her food.

French toast. This seemed delicious, too, but Team Darkness was still giving everyone breakfast food. Flame also seemed to do it.

While Daisy ate her food, she looked back to see if Moon was behind her chair. This had become a habit. The little brown fox was under her seat, looking up at her. Daisy chuckled and gave her a piece of the toast. _Just like a dog, _she thought. Then she knew that no Pokemon would know what a dog was unless they used to be human.

Eclipse seemed to flash her weird glances every now and then when she was eating. _Why is he doing that? _She couldn't think of a reason. What did Eclipse want with her, honestly?

When they were done, Eclipse walked up to her, asking an odd question. "Are you really a human?"

"Of course," Daisy answered, looking up at him. "Didn't you already know?"

"Oh," Eclipse asked, backing away until he reached the elevator. He went in, still flashing odd glances at Daisy, and then the door closed.

Right then, the Houndoom seemed to remind Daisy of something...someone that was a bully in her school. She shook the thought out of her mind as she went to the elevator with Storm. She pressed button 18, and went to her bed.

When Storm was fully asleep, Daisy checked the hail stone under the covers. It was still there. Good. Then she went to bed with the blue stone in her paw; safe. The only problem was that she forgot about Floor 6 and the nightmare she might have.

Daisy awoke with a groan. She was on an uncomfortable bed that didn't look like Floor 18 at all. It was Floor 6, of course. Daisy immediantly got under the covers, trying not to see anything horrible.

A strange mist picked her up and carried her back to the place where she wrote the word 'Zeke'. Then the mist transformed into a Cyndaquil.

_Do not keep that hailstone. It will only cause trouble. _He glared at Daisy, picking up a knife from the desk. Then he walked towards her.

Daisy instantly backed away. She closed her eyes, picturing the worst...

...When she opened them again, she was back in Floor 18. Daisy smiled and stretched. It must still be dark out, since Exploud wasn't there to wake them up. She got up and went to the elevator anyway, wondering what was going on down there. The elevator opened and Daisy got out. To her surprise, this wasn't Floor One. This was Floor 6.

Frightened, Daisy tried to open the elevator again, pressing button one. But it was stuck. She turned around, seeing River run towards her like a speeding bullet. Startled, she tried to get out of the way, but he ran into her.

"I was going to Floor One when the elevator suddenly went into this room! Someone must be in here, hiding," he hissed at Daisy. River and Daisy both looked for different places someone could be. It was hard to, considering there could be a ghost under the bed or a white orb under the desk. Luckily, they didn't see anything. They didn't even see anything unusual about the whole room.

A Pokemon squeaked behind her. "Moon!" Daisy said, looking behind her.

"I'm sorry!" said the unhappy Vulpix. "I was just trying to see what Floor 6 was like; I've never been here before. I didn't know it would send everyone here!" She screamed as a ghostly Cyndaquil appeared before her with a knife in its hand.

"What do you want from me?" Daisy asked, jumping on the Cyndaquil's back with unsheathed claws. Startled, it jerked back, sending Daisy flying.

Blood dripped from its mouth. It licked its lips and walked towards Daisy. River stood in front of her, but the Pokemon just pushed him away.

_I want nothing. I am nice, I told you. I'm being possessed by someone else. If only I could be helped..._

To her surprise, the knife fell out of his hand, and it started to float off the ground. Daisy was worried it might go for her, but instead, it floated to the wall with the 'Zeke' words. It wrote next to it: 'the Cyndaquil'. Then it pointed to Daisy, growling. Or at least someone else was growling.

"Are you SERIOUS?" Eclipse said in the elevator, spitting and hissing at the three. "I thought I told you guys not to go to this haunted place!" He completely ignored the knife that was headed towards him.

"It wasn't me, it was her!" River said, pointing to Moon. Moon squeaked and hid under the bed.

When Eclipse glanced to his right, he screamed. The knife was inches next to his nose, but then it disappeared. "Moon, get out from under there. We have to get out of here before other Pokemon show up!" He started pressing a button, trying to make the elevator open. Nothing worked.

Moon didn't get out. When River peeked under the bed, he screamed. Moon was floating above the ground, pressed against the wall, with a knife in her paw. "I'll kill you," she said deviously. She floated towards River, but then she seemed to turn back to normal. Her whole body fell to the ground with a smack and the knife disappeared.

"What happened?" she groaned, looking at River.

"I think she was possessed," Eclipse said, shooting a glare at Moon. "That's happened before. I told you not to come in this room. I swear you'll get kicked out of Team Darkness if you break any more rules."

Moon looked at the ground uneasily. Then she gazed at him. "I don't think punching numbers will work. Daisy told me last time she just waited for another Pokemon to come, and then entered the elevator before it shut."

Eclipse groaned. "Fine. Ugh, you're getting in so much trouble. Moon, for the next 5 missions, you're not coming with Team Darkness, okay? Oh, and don't argue with me, or you'll be kicked out."

Moon opened her mouth to object, and then remembered. She moaned, looking at the floor again. Daisy pat her head with a paw. "It's okay," she whispered. "Eclipse's just mean."

Finally, a Pokemon entered the door. It was an unknown Pachirisu Daisy had only seen at the dinner table.

"Sky!" River said, rushing up to her.

For some reason, Daisy felt jealousy rush through her as they hugged.

"Hurry, guys, into the elevator before it closes!" River yelled after the hug. They all seemed to run, but Moon was the slowest. She got her head stuck inside the elevator when it was closed, and she screamed. Luckily, it re-opened, but closed so fast when Moon tried to go inside again, she banged her head on the door.

"MOON!" everyone screamed as they went flying down. She was trapped!

Daisy looked up at the elevator ceiling, panting heavily. "Well, we could always come back up here," she told them. "Even if it means we get stuck and have to wait for another person-_Pokemon _to come to the floor.

"I'm not going in that room again," River said, groaning. "It's way too haunted."

"Well, I am," Daisy replied. "If it means to save Moon."

The elevator opened and Daisy walked into Floor 6. She tried not to listen to the strange sounds in this room, and looked for Moon. Moon was banging on the elevator still, sighing in relief when she saw her friend.

"Come on, Moon," Daisy said. "We have to wait for another Pokemon to come here. Then we'll go back to Floor One. Everything will be alright, okay?"

Moon growled at a banging noise from behind her. Quickly, she turned around, to see a knife with a bloody smiley face on the handle.

_What the heck? _thought Daisy, glancing at the smiley face. It seemed to turn into a frown as it floated towards her and Moon. "Moon, it won't hurt us," she said. "It never has." Her words were confident, but she couldn't act brave and protect the little fox - she was still worried.

Sure enough, the knife stopped inches from their face. Right after it did, the emoticon on its handle turned into an angry face and it blasted into pieces. Moon screamed, hiding behind Daisy.

At that moment, the elevator opened. Daisy sighed in relief and came in with Moon. It was Sky.

"I decided to rescue you," Sky said, winking. "So you didn't have to stay here for a long time."

"Thanks, Sky!" Daisy told her. "Even though I really don't know who you are..."

Sky laughed. "Don't worry. I'm part of Team Sun, the team you're going to go with when we're in Smoky Woods. At least, if Flame doesn't come back."

"So, who are the other members in your team?" Daisy asked, cocking her head a little.

"Oh, just me and a Minun called Blue. She's really nice and cheerful, just like me." Sky smiled as the elevator opened and they went to Floor One.

Storm was waiting for them, an angry look on his face. "Where are you?" he asked angrily. "I was looking all over the place!"

"Sorry," Daisy said. "Moon got stuck on Floor 6, so we had to go up there and rescue her."

"And what were you doing on Floor 6?" Storm asked. "It's like you love that place or something!"

"No, I don't!" Daisy retorted. "Moon just wanted to check that place out, so she went up there. I eventually stopped in that room, so we both got stuck with River."

Storm huffed at the mention of River. He shook himself and walked away. "Okay, then."

"Why is he acting so mean?" Daisy asked, looking at Sky.

Sky shrugged. "I know Storm. He's usually very grumpy when you get to know him. I think he's just jealous you like River."

"You think I like _River_?" Daisy asked, glaring at the Pachirisu. "He's just a friend! Just like I'm friends with Storm. Why would you just choose between them who I like?"

"Hey, don't get angry at me! I'm not the one who thinks you like him. I accept your friendship. _Storm's _the one who told me you liked River, so I thought so. He didn't tell me he was jealous or anything, and that he liked you, but I assumed."

Daisy calmed down a little. "Oh. Thanks, Sky. I'm sorry for being mean to you; I just don't like being teased liking someone."

"It's fine. Storm didn't tease you, though. He sounded angry when he said it...like jealousy."

"Thanks again!" Daisy exclaimed. "See you again sometime," she told the Pachirisu, and skipped away to the dinner table when the bell rang.

Daisy woke up covered in poop. One look at the brown, icky stuff made her throw up all over her bed. "WHO DID THIS?!" she yelled, shaking the poop off. She cleaned herself with a napkin. Looking over at Storm, he was snoring on his own bed. Did he do it?

Then on the other side of the room, she saw Moon and Skye giggling on the floor. Daisy picked up the poop, not caring if it got on her hands, and threw it at them angrily. Moon screamed when it landed on her face.

"Bulls eye!" Skye said, smiling.

It became a poop fight. Storm was sleeping away through the fight, but he woke up when they were done and poop was everywhere.

"What's going on?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes. When he saw the poop, he screamed, and immediantly got into the elevator.

"Stop, Storm!" Daisy said, rushing up to him. When he turned around, she smeared poop all over his face. Everyone broke down laughing.

"Alright, enough," Skye said, cleaning up the brown mess with a napkin.

"Where'd you get this poop anyway?"

"We found the rotten poop in the woods," Skye replied. "Just decided to pull a trick on someone."

"Smoky Woods?!" Daisy asked, startled.

Skye blushed deep red. "I didn't say that," she said. "The fields is what I meant."

Daisy nodded, not looking convinced, and went to the elevator down to Floor One. There was no Exploud today. She smiled.

When they reached the floor, Flame was still not back. Everyone was looking worried. Well, everyone that was in the room. It was still too early to begin breakfast.

Eclipse glanced at Daisy. "You're early," he told her. "That's unlike you. By afternoon, if Flame isn't back, I want you, Storm, and Team Sun to look for her and Team Flash. I'll call you then, okay?"

Daisy nodded. Again, he reminded her of the bully she had at her school...the one who was really mean but could change his mood instantly. The one with mental problems. Daisy wondered what his name was. She had forgotten it ever since she changed into an Umbreon.

Eclipse had left when she stopped thinking, and the breakfast bell rang. Daisy realized how hungry she was, and went to eat. It was chicken. _Isn't this supposed to be dinner? They must be different in the Pokemon world or something..._

"Hey," Skye said to Daisy.

"Oh, hi," Daisy replied, snapping out of her thoughts.

"So, what's up?" the Ninetails asked.

"Nothing much. Worried about Team Flash and Flame, but nothing else, really..." Daisy answered.

Skye nodded. "Same for me. I hope you and Team Sun are okay out there. I don't want you to go missing."

Daisy nodded, finishing the chicken quickly. She got up and walked away, waiting for afternoon to arrive. She knew that Flame wouldn't come back before then. It just seemed so unlikely.

Hours later, the afternoon bell rang, startling Daisy from her place in her room. She got up and went to the elevator, going to Floor One.

Eclipse immediantly walked up to her. "Team Sun's already ready. Where's Storm?"

"Coming," a voice grunted, standing up from his place next to the mission board.

"You guys will have to leave right now. Good luck, Smoky Woods is a bad place. I think that's why Team Flash and Flame are missing."

Nodding, Daisy went to the door. She hesitated for a moment. Then she thought of the friendship she made with the three Pokemon, and opened the door, ready for the worst...


	7. Chapter 6: The Search for Team Flash

Daisy walked out of the Guild, looking at the place before her known as Earth Town. She had no clue where Smoky Woods was, but she did thought she remembered seeing it once...where?

Sky looked at her from Daisy's left. On her right was the Minun known as Blue. She hadn't talked since the Umbreon met her.

"So..." Daisy said awkwardly. "Do you know where Smoky Woods is?"

"I'll lead you there," Sky told her excitedly. "I've been there before, and there's really tough Pokemon. It's a good place to train, almost like a dojo. Team Flash shouldn't have gotten that mission. Those Raichus... I know them, they're easy to beat, but everything else in that forest is a challenge. I'm not sure you'd win on your own."

Daisy nodded, and hesitated for a moment. She suddenly felt nervous, and looked at Blue. Who still wasn't talking.

"Blue's mute," said Sky. "Sorry I didn't tell you that earlier, I just felt like you didn't need to know yet. She has a white board in her hand when you want to talk to her."

Daisy wondered what that was doing there. She nodded, and waved to the Minun. Blue waved back.

"I'm Daisy," she said.

Blue wrote on her white board: 'Blue' in blue ink.

"I know your name from Sky," said Daisy, smiling.

Blue nodded and erased the words on the white board, putting it away. Then they continued walking.

"Smoky Woods is coming closer," said Sky. She pointed to a bunch of trees only a couple feet away. She bounced cheerfully the rest of the way to the forest, Blue following slowly and Daisy sprinting.

"We need to do this faster," Daisy told them. "I don't want the Guild to think we've gone missing, too, and send another search party."

"You're right," Sky replied. She bounced faster, and even the little Minun ran quicker.

Finally they reached the dark woods, and stopped beside it.

"Keep going," Daisy urged. "It's no use hesitating. We can't come back now."

Nodding, Sky and Blue went in first. Daisy followed nervously and slowly.

The first thing they saw in the forest was a bunch of Pokemon sleeping next to them. Daisy guessed they must have woken up when Flame and Team Flash entered, because they had blood on their body.

"I don't like the looks of this place", Blue wrote on her white board. She tip-toed on her paws, trying to walk faster.

Daisy and Sky nodded, and did the same. Luckily none of the Pokemon woke up, but some of them shifted.

Suddenly Blue skidded to a stop. Daisy and Sky did too, confused. They looked around the place, hearing a faint growl behind them.

"Run" was what Blue wrote in big letters on her white board. And that was what they did.

The faint growl followed them angrily, and it seemed to get closer and closer every step they took. Finally, when the growl stopped, the three stopped, too.

"Where's Storm?" whispered Daisy.

"Do you think he even came with?" Sky asked. Then she added, "He might be mad at you. Because of River."

Daisy rolled her eyes. Storm had no right to be angry at her just because of her friendship with River. But when she heard a scream that sounded like Storm, she knew Sky was wrong.

Together, Sky, Daisy, and Blue darted towards the sound of the scream. They had been walking for a couple minutes in the plain grass already with Pokemon all around them just waking up from their naps. When they stopped and glanced at the scene before them, it wasn't pretty.

Storm was being eaten by a big, huge Charizard. _Is it the same Charizard that I made blind? I know it can't be Flame...she wouldn't eat Storm. _Daisy glanced into its eyes. It didn't seem blind. And it also looked bigger than ever.

Sky started the battle by using Quick Attack. She moved with such quick force the Charizard didn't notice her. It yowled in pain as the small Pachirisu bit him on the throat as fast as a lightning bolt. She hung on there nervously without letting go. The Charizard took this as a good sign, and he flamethrowered her face off of him.

Sky immediately fell to the floor, taking the hit. She growled and got up, crawling back to Daisy and Blue. "Blue, you're strong," she panted. "You use an attack."

A bunch of electricity came from Blue's body right away: Spark. It moved towards the Charizard as quickly as possible, but it had no luck. The Charizard flapped its wings and the electricity hit a nearby tree instead. Blue groaned with frustration.

"It's okay," Daisy replied. "Let me try." And she took a step foward, knowing Charizard couldn't dodge this attack. If it even could be called an attack.

With all her energy, she screamed the loudest she could. Every second her voice seemed to get louder and louder. Echoed Voice.

Sky and Blue got affected by this, too. They winced and covered their ears in pain. But Daisy knew they wouldn't be as affected as the Charizard, because both Sky and Blue hadn't been hurt...much. The Charizard had already been hurt by three Pokemon now. Echoed Voice was enough for him to spit out the Jolteon while covering his ears and screaming.

_Haha, _Daisy thought as she stopped Echoed Voice; it was starting to hurt her ears, too. _Screaming will only make it worse._

The Charizard continued screaming, only to realize the attack was done. Everyone chuckled when he stopped. That only made him angrier, and fire burst out of his nostrils. He charged for the Pokemon again; Storm having nothing better to do than lie down.

Without thinking, Daisy also lunged. She and the Charizard both clashed together and fell to the floor. The little Umbreon tried to be smart. She got up quickly and walked over to the big Pokemon, a wide grin spread across her face. "Give up yet?" _Hopefully no one can tell I'm nervous and scared._

The Charizard opened his mouth, and a burst of fire made Daisy flinch. She ducked quickly, and the fire hit Blue instead. "Sorry!" Daisy squeaked, lunging for the Charizard. She bit his throat in anger and blood came pouring out of a wound.

The Charizard winced with pain. He lifted his head and glared at Daisy. "What happened to Echoed Voice?" he sneered.

"Thanks for reminding me," said the Umbreon, winking. And then she used it again.

Apparently, the Charizard had no idea this attack was coming again. He yowled and covered his ears, begging for it to stop.

A couple minutes later, Daisy stopped with her Echoed Voice. Sky and Blue lay panting on the floor, and the Charizard seemed dead.

Daisy walked over to them and sighed. "Sorry about that. I had to." When Sky and Blue both nodded, Daisy took that as apology accepted.

"I think it's dead," Storm growled, padding over to Daisy. "We should move on."

Both Daisy and Team Sun didn't ask any questions. They just nodded and trekked onward to the forest. Unfortunately, Daisy stopped to sniff the air. A blast of fire barely missed her ear.

"Oh, great," she moaned, staring at the now awake Charizard with her ears pulled back. "Storm, are you good enough to fight?"

"Of course," the Jolteon hissed. "I always am." And he lunged foward, probably using Quick Attack, grabbing one of the Charizard's legs and pulling it towards him. The Charizard yowled, using Flamethrower to spot him. Fortuantely for Storm, it only hit the sky.

The Charizard groaned and glanced down at the Jolteon, trying to grab him with his claws. "There's no way you'll get out of this alive!" he yelled.

Storm just smiled in between biting Charizard's leg. The wound made a scratch on his leg, and blood came out of it. Some dropped on Storm's nose. He shook it off and continued pulling his leg.

Daisy joined in the fight. She used Echoed Voice once more, not caring if it hurt her ally's ears either. She just had to get rid of this Charizard.

Sky tried to ignore the pain in her ears. Electricity came from her while she used her best attack: Spark. It electrified the poor Charizard's body.

Blue lunged forward, hitting Charizard on his arm. She hung on to it and bit it hard. With all these attacks, Charizard took the hits. He growled and fell to the floor, taking Blue down with him.

The Minun hopped off in happiness and gave everyone the thumbs up sign. Daisy stopped her Echoed Voice, which made everyone sigh with relief, and collapsed on the floor.

"That's for using Echoed Voice too much," Storm joked with her.

It didn't seem much of a compliment to Sky and Blue, but Daisy just laughed. She slowly got up and walked over to her partners. "I think we got rid of the worst Pokemon here," she panted. "Should we rest for the night? It's getting really dark."

When everyone nodded, Daisy lay down in a bush and closed her eyes right away. Sky and Blue rested in a bush not far away from hers. Storm went with Daisy uncomfortably.

"So," the Umbreon said, starting their conversation. "Why didn't you call for help when that Charizard got to you?"

"I thought that would be weak. I did try fighting him, but one Pokemon wouldn't have been enough to stop him. If you weren't there, he would've eaten me and I would probably die." Storm sighed and rested his head on his paws.

Daisy nodded. "Oh. Well, I'm glad you're safe." Right after that, she fell asleep.

_What's this? _thought Daisy, glancing around. A pitch black sky shown above her with no stars. She heard movement right next to her, but was too scared to look. _There are no stars..._ And at that same moment she thought about stars, a bright gray comet moved directly towards her. Daisy screamed, trying to get out of the way, but it was way too big and bright. The Umbreon almost became blind as the light shown in her widened eyes.

She closed her eyes hard, preparing herself for the worst.

But nothing came. Daisy blinked, and opened her eyes. The comet was gone. Instead of hitting her, it had disappeared inches from her face, Daisy guessed. Like everything did in her nightmares.

"There will be no stars on the night of the comet," a voice whispered into her ear. Daisy looked around for the voice, but there were no signs of anyone being there. She took a step back and shivered.

Then everything turned pitch black, and the nightmare was over.

Daisy woke up with a start. Her ears pulled back and her mouth wide open. Storm was still sleeping peacefully beside her. _Hopefully I didn't make any noise, _the Umbreon thought as she got up and walked around the woods on her tip-toes.

Sky and Blue were watching the sun-rise. Both of them awake startled Daisy, and she turned to look at them.

"Sorry," said Sky, turning around from her place at the edge of the forest. "Me and Blue just wanted to watch the sunset."

Daisy wondered how they noticed her. _Maybe I accidentally made a noise... _"It's okay. It's not your fault. Can I come with you?"

"Sure" Blue wrote on her whiteboard. Sky nodded, and Daisy walked over to them to sit down.

"So..." she said, looking bored. "I'm really tired...shouldn't we still be sleeping?"

Sky shrugged. "The sun's already rising, and I'm wide awake. I couldn't fall asleep last night...I'm not used to sleeping in bushes..."

Daisy wondered why she could fall asleep in bushes, and Sky couldn't. She was a human. Did she fall asleep in bushes in her last life? Daisy wondered.

"Well, I'm going back to sleep," she finally announced. "If I continue to stay awake, I'll probably just fall asleep here." All three of them chuckled, and Daisy went back to her bush.

_Hmm... Maybe I should wander around the forest... _She turned her head towards the woods they hadn't been through yet. _Would there be a trace of Team Flash or Flame there? _Without thinking, she trekked past the bush and past Storm. It was decided she would go further into Smoky Woods.

It seemed like hours, even though it wasn't, before the forest curved and a river appeared in front of her. Daisy looked at her reflection in the river. She was a plain old Umbreon. Sighing, she turned away from the river and took a deep breath. _Wow, I'm extremely tired. If I tried to go back to Sky and Blue I would fall asleep in the middle of the forest. Maybe I should just sleep here..._

Before she could make up her mind, her eyes closed and she fell asleep sitting down right next to the river.

She did not see the Cyndaquil that floated past her. But she saw it in her dream.

Daisy blinked, and then opened her eyes. She yawned, looking up at the clear blue sky. _Where the heck am I? _she thought, and then immediately remembered what happened. She had fallen asleep next to the river on accident. _The others would be worried. I better head back._

Daisy sat up and stretched. Then she ran towards the forest until she could barely see the curve in the distance. Finally, she could make out a couple bushes in the distance. Was this the right way? Was Storm still sleeping in one of those bushes, or was he out looking for her?

Her thoughts were cut off when Sky and Blue appeared from one of the bushes. Daisy sighed in relief, rushing over to them and grinning. But Team Sun was frowning.

"Daisy, Storm's gone looking for you! We told him it was a bad idea, and he'd probably find you out walking in the woods, but he didn't listen. We must go find him."

Daisy's ears perked up. "Really? Let's go!" She darted towards the place where she had come from. Sky and Blue had a hard time catching up. When they reached the place next to the lake with no trace of the Jolteon, Daisy could not find the two electric Pokemon.

_Great. Don't tell me I lost them, too._

Luckily, Team Sun appeared right after Daisy thought about them. She grinned and padded over to the river, a bit more slowly this time.

"You're fast, Daisy!" Sky panted, collapsing on the floor. "You guys can go look for him. I think I tripped over a thorn on my way to you, and it hurts horribly."

Blue frowned. 'We're not going anywhere without you' she wrote on her whiteboard. She then dragged Sky over to Daisy.

"I can walk," the Pachirisu snapped. She got up on her own, brushed herself off, and walked the rest of the way like nothing had happened.

"I think he went over the stepping stones..." Daisy said, looking at four rocks in the middle of the river, not too far away. "Let's go."

Blue and Sky ran as fast as they could with Sky limping on one leg. Daisy went over them carefully, making sure not to fall into the water. By the time she was at the other side, Sky and Blue were just walking over to the stones.

Blue went first. She made it easily with no tripping or anything. Then she looked over at Sky.

"Oh, great..." Sky said out loud, wobbling a little at the third stone. As soon as she made it to the fourth, she tripped and screamed.

_At least that will clean up her thorn wound..._ Daisy said, then flinched when the current dragged Sky to a different part of the river. Blue had no time to write on her white-board, but she looked like she wanted to write something. Daisy shook the thought off and ran towards Sky, who was getting further away from them.

By the time they reached her, the stepping stones were probably about 50 feet away. Daisy jumped into the water, grabbing on to the grass so the current wouldn't pull her away. With one paw grabbing the grass and one paw reaching out for Sky, she pulled her towards her and jumped back onto the fields.

Sky lay on the grass, panting. "That water was freezing!" she complained. "At least the thorn wound doesn't hurt as much anymore...Thanks, Daisy. You saved my life."

Daisy nodded, and looked over at Blue. She also nodded.

"Let's go find Storm," Sky told them. She ran off like nothing bad had happened, in the lead this time.

Daisy followed uneasily, looking around for any signs of the yellow Jolteon. Nothing. _Wow, he must've gone pretty far,_ she thought.

She skidded to a stop when she heard movement in one of the bushes. Her ears pulled gently back and looked at a green bush with blackberries on it. Could it be...?

A yellow Jolteon, luckily, appeared out of the bushes and rushed towards the team. "Where were you?" he growled. "I've been looking all over!"

Daisy sighed with relief. "_We _were looking for_ you!_ Anyways, sorry about that. I was taking a walk in the woods and I suddenly felt too tired, so I fell asleep next to the river. When I woke up, I went back to our bush, only to realize you had left looking for me."

Storm was grinning. "It's alright. I thought you had gone missing like Team Flash and Flame. I was really worried. Where are they anyway?"

Sky shrugged, getting in the Umbreon's way. "No trace of them whatsoever. I can't even find the Raichus. Maybe they're in a different section of the forest?"

"That's what I think," Daisy replied. "There's no way they could be over here. The letter said in Smoky Woods, not next to the river or away from the woods." She flicked an ear. "Let's head back. And hurry. I don't want Eclipse thinking we've gone missing, too."

Together, the four walked away from the bush and headed back to Smoky Woods. They looked around for Snow, Silver, or Flame. Nothing. "Where _are_ they?" Storm growled. "They can't be in Smoky Woods if we can't find anything!"

"Relax," Daisy answered. "We haven't checked this area yet. Come on." She padded through the trees, which took a while. The branches kept on hurting her fur, and Sky wouldn't catch up to them quickly.

Suddenly, the Pachirisu tripped over a rock. Storm rolled his eyes and looked back to where Sky was. "Why is it always you who gets hurt? It was like that the last mission we went on together, Sky."

"I'm just unlucky like that, okay?" Sky yelled.

"Did you touch one of Ninetail's tails or something?" Daisy joked. She hadn't meant it as an insult, but Sky took it as one. She crossed her arms and looked away. "That's exactly what I did."

"Hey, it wasn't supposed to be an insult. Cheer up." She walked over to the Pachirisu, who sighed.

"Let's just continue...I have a bad feeling about this place."

Storm yawned, running ahead of the team. "How did you touch a Ninetail's tail, anyway?" he asked, expecting Sky to hear.

"It was on accident," the Pachirisu replied. "I was talking to her until she turned around, and her tails brushed my face. She thought I did that on purpose, so she put a curse on me for 1,000 years. Now I always get hurt for stupid reasons. There. Now stop talking about this."

All four of them remained quiet, until finally the trees ended into a beautiful clearing. This was probably the middle of Smoky Woods. There were trees all around, with a waterfall on the other side. A river cut through the trees, probably the one with the stepping stones Daisy and the others crossed to find Storm.

"It's so pretty," Sky said with a sparkle in her eye. Immediately, she fell over and hit her head on a rock. "Ow!"

"...Wow," Storm said, glancing at her. "She sure did get cursed by Ninetails." His voice was in a whisper, so only Blue and Daisy could hear. They nodded, and watched as Sky spun around.

Finally, Sky collapsed on the floor and got up again. "Sorry about that...I got carried away... Or maybe it's my stupid curse." She growled, and stalked her way through the clearing. Daisy, Storm, and Blue followed with a nervous look.

To their surprise, Sky flinched. She turned to look at the three Pokemon and rushed over to them. "I heard something," she whispered.

Curiously, Daisy walked up to the waterfall and looked around. Sure enough she heard the noise. It sounded like a Pokemon crying for help, all three of them.

"Could it be...?" she asked, loud enough for the other Pokemon to hear.

"Snow, Silver, and Flame!" Storm yelled. He and the others sprinted towards Daisy, trying to see if they could hear the noise.

"It sure sounds a lot like them!" the Jolteon said. "Come on, let's try to go towards the noise. I'm curious."

He led the way, the one with the best nose, while Team Sun and Daisy followed slowly behind. "Come on, move faster! I don't want them to stop screaming so we can't tell where they are!"

Daisy groaned, knowing if she ran faster the branches would hurt her worse. She attempted it anyway, and ignored the pain her shoulders were receiving. She wondered how much pain Sky was getting, her curse and all.

When she looked back, there were a couple of scratches on Sky's shoulders. Nothing else. And she seemed to be ignoring the pain, so Daisy just shrugged and looked in front of her.

Storm was running faster than the speed of light. He raced past every Pokemon like a speeding bullet. Daisy had a slight interest in his legs as she ran.

Suddenly, she heard someone say 'OW!'. Expecting it was Sky, she turned around to see what happened.

The Pachirisu had collided with a tree and was rubbing her head in pain. Storm had stopped, and glanced at Sky with anger. "Stupid curse," he muttered. "Always ruining the moment." He continued to run, ignoring what everyone else was doing. Sky had gotten up and ran again like nothing had happened.

They were jogging when they reached another clearing through the forest. This time, five Raichus were there, grinning evilly. They had Snow, Silver, and Flame tied up in ropes. Right next to them was a Vaporeon, who took one glance at Daisy and screamed. "Intruders!"_Oops. We should've hidden,_ thought Daisy as she sprinted towards the tied-up Team Flash and her boss, Flame. If she looked more closely she could also see a Pikachu tied up.

One thought covered her others. _Don't run. Stand and fight._ And that was exactly what she did. When the Vaporeon caught up with her, it showed its teeth. "You're good," it said, licking its lips. "Not running like the others. Just standing there, ready to fight. But let me tell you, little Umbreon. I'll beat you easily." And she lunged forward, grabbing Daisy by the scruff. Apparently, Storm saw this, so he used Thundershock when the Vaporeon wasn't looking. The electricity hit her in the back, and it was enough to let her go and turn toward Storm.

"What the heck is with all you eveelutions?" she sneered. "It's time for you to get tied up like your little friends were." A rope appeared in her mouth which wasn't there a second go. Daisy blinked in surprise.

"You could say I'm like a magician," the Vaporeon exclaimed. "No time for that story, though. It's time for you to get tied up."

The rope disappeared from the water Pokemon and re-appeared, tying up Daisy and Storm. Vaporeon laughed evilly, watching as she levitated them towards their friends.

"Pretty soon, they'll all be dead," she told herself, not noticing the Pachirisu and Minun coming up from behind.

Daisy and Storm screamed, trying to get themselves out of the ropes, but it was no use. They were trapped. All they could do was watch the fight that was happening, and hope Sky wouldn't get in too much danger from her curse for 1,000 years.


	8. Chapter 7: Safe and Free

Sky tried not to make any noise as she padded towards the Vaporeon. Before her curse could let her make noise, electricity sprung from her body and traveled towards the enemy. Spark: her best attack. Maybe it would hit her.

Fortuantely, the electricity hit Vaporeon's tail, and she yelped with pain, turning around to see who made the attack. A Pachirisu. Her tail flicked angrily, blood coming out of the wound. "Who is this, now?" she asked with anger in her voice. "Don't make me lose my temper. You know how I get when I lose my temper."

"No, actually, I don't," Sky answered. She grinned, and Blue popped out out of nowhere.

Vaporeon face-palmed herself with her paw and glared at the two. "Even if it's two against one, you still won't defeat me!"

"We'll see about that," Sky said, and the Minun ran towards her like a speeding bullet. Before the eveelution could dodge, she was hit in the face by a Quick Attack. "Ow!" she yelled. Or was that Sky?

Blue had no time to think before she fell backwards, her punch making a big red spot on Vaporeon's face.

"Ugh..." the Pokemon said, lashing her tail. "Quit attacking me or I'll tie you up too!" Before the two could respond, a rope appeared out of nowhere. It moved towards them, fast, but not quick enough the two couldn't dodge. They ran away from it as it continued to follow them.

Both Sky and Blue and the rope were running in circles until the Vaporeon finally gave up, and the rope disappeared from existence. "You guys are so stupid!" she yelled, facepalming herself again.

Blue smiled and charged up a Spark, making Vaporeon back away. The electricity barely hit her tail as she dodged. The pain made her fly up and fall down again in Storm's rope. "WHAT THE HECK!" she said, accidentally tying herself up. She probably lost her temper now; she was squirming in the rope, screaming and trying to get out.

_I think she has a mental breakdown,_ Daisy thought, grinning.

"Good job!" Daisy told Team Sun. Vaporeon watched in anger from her place in Storm's rope.

"Now, how are we going to untie them?" Sky looked at Snow, Silver, Flame, Daisy, and Storm in their ropes.

Blue smiled and walked up to the ropes without Sky's permission. She carefully began untying Snow's rope somehow. Sky glanced at her in awe. "When did you learn how to untie like that?"

Blue ignored her; she had left the whiteboard next to Sky. She was untying the ropes so quickly, it seemed like ten seconds when Snow's rope was done. After that, another ten seconds, Silver's rope was untied. Sky waited patiently and grinned at her place a couple inches from the ropes.

Snow and Silver both ran up to Sky and grinned. "Thank you for saving us! That Vaporean is one creepy magician! We couldn't get past her," they said at the same time.

"You should thank Blue," said Sky. "She was the one who untied you."

Snow and Silver nodded, turning to Blue. "We'll thank every one of you guys." They padded towards her, but she was busy untying Daisy's rope.

Daisy hopped out a couple seconds later and ran towards Snow and Silver. "You're alive!" she said happily. Snow and Silver smiled back and watched Blue untie Storm's rope.

_What will happen to Vaporeon?_ Daisy thought.

Unfortuantely, both Storm and Vaporeon got out of the rope together. Vaporeon growled and charged towards Blue. "You will pay!"

Daisy watched as electricity came from Blue and hurtled[?] towards Vaporeon. The water Pokemon widened her eyes and gasped as the electricity hit her right in the face. At that moment, a Raichu charged into Daisy and they both toppled onto the ground.

Daisy got back up quickly and lunged for her opponent. She sunk her teeth in his neck, and blood squirted everywhere. The Raichu growled in pain and jumped back, carrying Daisy with him. The Umbreon still hung on to his neck, and the Raichu tried his best to get her off.

"It's useless!" he then said, giving up on life. The Raichu fell down and breathed his last breath before, finally, Daisy got off of him.

Daisy looked at Sky's battle with a random Raichu. With her curse, it might be harder to fight. So Daisy decided to help. She lunged towards the Raichu's back before he could lunge at Sky, and the Raichu flew backwards with a startled expression on his face.

Sky frowned. "I can fight my own battles, thanks."

"What about your curse?" Daisy asked.

"Well...in that case, thank you!"

Before Daisy could reply, a force knocked into her and sent her flying. She growled, noticing a Raichu right in front of her. Using up all her strength, she screamed: Echoed Voice.

One of the Raichus also screamed, and Daisy tried not to chuckle. _That'll only make it worse!_

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Vaporeon managed to ask with Blue's paw on her neck.

"Cover your ears!" one Raichu screamed. But at that same moment, Sky came crashing into him. The Raichu widened his eyes in surprise as she scratched them. He immediantly went blind.

_Maybe that curse doesn't always affect her! _Daisy thought. Finally, she stopped Echoed Voice and watched as a bunch of Raichus went down. There were only two left in the clearing. Daisy took a moment to scan the area: there were at least ten dead Raichus. Wow.

The blind Raichu tried to get out of Sky's wrath, but it was hard because he was blind. He finally managed to get out and stared straight at Daisy. Daisy walked towards him with light pawsteps and then jumped. _Tackle! _

"Good one!" Sky smiled. "Now there's only one more left..."

Daisy looked around and noticed Snow and Silver both on top of one Raichu, clawing its eyes. This one was blind, too.

"We've won," Daisy whispered as Snow finished it off. "But where's Flame and that Pikachu?"

"Here," Flame grumbled, spitting out fire. Daisy spun around to see her clawing another Raichu. _Where'd he come from? _

"Thank you so much!" The Pikachu ran towards Daisy, Storm, Blue, and Sky. "You saved me and Snow and Silver! I thought I was gonna die for sure!"

Daisy smiled. "No problem. Are you lost in these woods or you know where you live?"

"Uh..." All of a sudden the Pikachu seemed very interested in the grass. "I'm sort of lost...I live in this house in Earth Town..."

"Hop on my back!" Flame said. "It's big enough for everyone!"

_I find that hard to believe, or else Flame's really fat._ Eventually, she and Storm both ended up fitting on the Charizard, but Silver had to lay on Snow's back. The Pikachu watched in awe as she started to take off.

"Woah, look at the world! It's so big! I see the ocean, I see the whole Smoky Woods, and look! There's my house!"

Daisy strained to look down at the place where Earth Town was. The Pikachu was pointing towards a house that looked exactly like a Pikachu. Ha.

Flame started to land a couple seconds after they took off. She let out a sigh as the Pokemon hopped off her back.

"Thanks again!" The Pikachu waved before going up the path that led to her house. Daisy watched as she closed the door behind them.

"Well, that was...easy," said Sky.

"Let's go home now!" Storm growled. "I'm so tired I could sleep through the end of the world!"

"The world's ending?!" Silver looked around as if she expected a meteor to come crashing down at any moment.

Everyone looked at her.

"Sorry..." Silver looked down at her paws. "I didn't hear clearly."

Snow flicked her ear in amusement. "Off to the Guild we go~!" she yelled.

The first thing Daisy saw when she came back was Eclipse. He was waiting for them, tail lashing back and forth. "Well? What happened?"

"They found me, Snow, and Silver!" Flame said cheerfully, coming up to the front of the group.

Silver went under Eclipse and wagged her tail. "Hiiii, Eclipse!"

Eclipse rolled his eyes, walking away.

Snow giggled, walking up to her daughter. She watched Eclipse as he went to the mission board, then decided to follow.

Daisy tried to listen to their conversation, perking her ears.

"Hi, Eclipse," Snow said with a dreamy look in her eyes. What the hell?

"Hi, Snow," said the Houndoom. Daisy could tell he was impatient just from the sound of his voice.

"Do you have any plans?" Snow asked.

"What are you talking about?" Eclipse muttered. At that same moment, Daisy noticed a Ninetales and Vulpix walk up to her. Skye and Moon.

"You're back!" Skye said with a happy expression. "We thought you were dead!"

"It didn't take too long," Storm murmured.

"Well, we thought Team Flash were dead," Moon said, looking up at Daisy with wide eyes. "You guys saved them and Flame!"

Daisy nodded. She opened her mouth to reply, but at that same moment, a bell rang.

"Just in time for dinner~!" Sky cheered. "Let's go, Blue!"

Daisy sat in her usual spot next to Skye. This time, Sky was sitting on the other side of her and Moon was across from her. _She's finally sitting in a chair! _she thought, smiling. She looked at the plate: bacon and eggs. More breakfast food. She sighed. _Don't they ever get this stuff right? _

"Daisy!" A voice snapped the Umbreon out of her thoughts. "Tell me about the mission! What happened?"

"Well, it was a fun trip!" Daisy began. "At the start of the woods, we saw a bunch of Pokemon sleeping. We ended up not waking them up, but there was a huge Charizard that almost ate Storm and-"

Moon gulped. "He ate Storm?!"

"ALMOST ate Storm," Daisy corrected. "We managed to defeat him and I used my powerful Echoed Voice."

"That's awesome!" said Moon. "You should show me how to do it now!"

"Um..." Daisy looked around at the table. "That's not possible now... But, after we defeated the Charizard, we decided to fall asleep in a bush. I woke up early and decided to go for a walk - unfortunately, I was tired, so I fell asleep next to the lake. Apparently Storm set out looking for me so we had to find him. Then Sky almost died from drowning in the river, but I saved her. We found Storm behind a blackberry bush. Finally, we came to a clearing with twelve Raichus and a magician Vaporeon. The-"

"A MAGICIAN?!" Moon gasped in between eating her bacon. "That's impossible!"

"-Vaporeon used her magic to send most of us in ropes. All of us but Sky and Blue were captured, and Blue used Spark, which sent her flying in Storm's rope. Somehow Blue was able to untie us, but she also accidentally untied Vaporeon, and that was when the Raichus attacked. There was a huge battle, and that was when I also used Echoed Voice. The Pikachu thanked us and we had to hop on Flame's fat back. Some of us had to get on top of each other-"

"That's gross!" Moon looked disgusted.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Daisy hissed. "Anyway, the Pikachu lived in a Pikachu-like house. We dropped him off there and then went back to the Guild. Now, here we are."

"Nice story! It's so intense!" Moon said happily.

Daisy grinned.

Skye nodded, looking at Daisy. "I wish I was there. It would've been fun."

"I wouldn't like it if Eclipse was there," Daisy growled. "Have you noticed Snow mooning over him?"

"No, why?" asked Skye.

Daisy shrugged. "I don't know what she sees in him. He's rude."

"There are different opinions," Skye replied.

"I know, but..." Daisy trailed off, looking confused. "Nevermind."

At the same moment, fire burst in the air. "Alright, everyone!" Flame screeched. "Dinner's over!"

Daisy immediantly jumped off the chair. She realized just how exhausted she was right after Flame's screech. Her tail and head drooped with exhaustion; her eyes were almost closed. Suddenly she felt so tired she fell over.

"You okay, Daisy?" Storm asked, walking up to her.

"I'm fine!" Daisy growled, getting up and stalking to the elevator.

Storm shrugged and followed her.

"GET YOUR FAT ASSES OUT OF BED NOW!"

Daisy opened her eyes, groaning, looking at the Exploud looming above her.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU JUST MISSED THE GOD D*MN PLEDGE!"

"Sorry, Exploud," said Daisy, getting out of bed, scratching herself behind the ears. _I'm not sorry,_ she whispered under her breath. _If Exploud wants to be a jerk, let him be one. _

"DON'T INTERUPPT ME! GET DOWN HERE SO FLAME CAN GIVE YOU A PROPER PUNISHMENT!"

_He sounds like Eclipse but worse! _

With a sigh, she walked to the elevator next to Storm. Exploud was yelling at them the whole way down. "YOU MISSED THE PLEDGE, YOU MISSED BREAKFAST, AND YOU MISSED WHEN FLAME SENT OUT THE MISSIONS. SHE WAS GOING TO SEND YOU AND TEAM WATERFALL TO RESCUE A PIPLUP, BUT NO! YOU HAD TO BE LATE! YOU HAD TO SLEEP THROUGH ALL THAT AND MAKE FLAME EMBARASSED! SHE WAS SO EMBARASSED WHEN SHE REALIZED YOU WEREN'T THERE. NONE OF US EVEN NOTICED YOU WEREN'T THERE UNTIL-" He stopped and gulped, realizing that everyone was staring at him. The elevator had opened.

The three both stepped out and looked at Flame.

"I am disappointed," she said, crossing her arms. "You proved that you don't sleep well by what you just did today. If you do it once more, I will have to give you a punishment. Try not to stay up too late."

"Sorry, Flame," Storm and Daisy said at the same time.

"You should be," Flame roared. "Now let's get back to business. Lunch is almost here already. Exploud, I have to talk to you."

Exploud's shoulders drooped. With a sigh, he followed Flame to her place.

"Flame...can we still go on a mission?" Daisy's eyes sparkled. She was dying to do _something_.

"No, I'm afraid not. Maybe tomorrow, if you're up early. But you can go talk to your friends. Now quit talking and let me speak to Exploud," she growled impatiently.

"Sorry," Daisy said before scurrying off.

She was just in time to notice Snow and Eclipse talking to each other. With a sigh, she padded over to the table and sat under it, straining to hear their conversation.

"No," Eclipse growled. "I don't have any plans. What do you want?"

"I...I was just wondering..." Snow stammered, looking at her paws. "I'll tell you later...I need to talk to Flame."

Curious, Daisy continued to crouch down as she followed Snow. Her belly barely touched the ground as she moved. Luckily, no one noticed her, but Eclipse was looking at where she was a second ago in confusion.

"Snow? What're you doing here?" Flame asked in between talking to Exploud.

"I need to talk to you," the Mightyena said urgently.

"In a moment. Exploud, like I said, I don't want you yelling at the Normal Rank teams. Yell at the bronze and silver ones for all I care, but not the Normal Rank teams. Understand?"

"Yes, Flame," Exploud sighed.

"Alright, now leave. You can talk now, Snow."

Snow looked at her paws. "I-I was just wondering if...if...if..."

"Speak!" Flame ordered.

Snow lifted her chin as if she suddenly woke up. "I was wondering if Team Flash and Team Darkness can go on a mission together tomorrow."

Flame tilted her head. "Why?"

The burst of energy disappeared. Snow looked at her paws once more. "I...I just wanted to...is that a b-bad thing?"

"Of course not." Flame chuckled. "Snow, of course I'll let you and Team Darkness go on a mission together. I should be the one saying who can be together, but I think I'll let it slide this once."

"R-really?" Snow widened her eyes, looking at the fat Charizard. "Thanks, Flame! You're awesome!" She padded away with a twinkle in her eye.

"What do you want, Daisy? I can see you." Flame sighed.

"Oh, nothing. I was just..." The Umbreon gulped, suddenly not knowing what to say.

Flame dismissed her with a flick of her tail. "You should know better than to eavesdrop on other Pokemons' conversations, Daisy. This time I won't give you a punishment, but...watch out on what you do. I'm already pissed off that you missed the pledge AND breakfast." She sighed. "Go. Get away! NOW!"

"I'm stuck to the floor!" Daisy cried. She looked at her paws, expecting to see duct tape there.

Flame frowned. "That joke is so old. Leave."

"I can't!"

Flame walked over and pushed her, but the Umbreon stayed where she was.

"Oh, great. Someone probably left tape there...If I figure out who it was I'm seriously gonna kill them... Stay there, Daisy," she commanded. Her big claws shot out and Daisy gulped. Was she going to use them to get the tape out?

Sure enough, Flame practically ripped through her skin as she struggled to get the tape out. Daisy yowled with pain. Suddenly, she could move again, but she was sort of bleeding.

"It's okay. It's not horrible," Flame said. "You can leave now."

Daisy sighed with relief. She bowed her head, then walked away, still feeling the pain.

"Daisy!" A gasp was heard behind her.

Daisy spun around to notice a little Vulpix looking at her wound.

"Where'd you get that from?"

Daisy sighed. "It's nothing important, Moon." She didn't want to say Flame had scratched her too hard."

"We should go to the hospital! They can fix you up!"

"Really, Moon? That wound's not deep enough." Eclipse had come up to her. He sniffed Daisy, then growled. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Daisy hissed. _I'm tired of this many Pokemon asking already! Leave me alone!_ She stalked off before Eclipse could reply, but he was still following her.

"I gotta talk to you," he said.

Daisy looked over her shoulder and stared at him.

River looked at the forest ahead of him, growling. Smoky Woods again? Didn't Team Darkened Thunder and Team Sun just go there? _Maybe there's more Pokemon there, trying to hurt a bunch of other ones. _

"River! River!"

The Buizel spun around to notice a Bulbasaur. He sighed - the team that came with him was Team Vine, and they were the most annoying team ever. Well, besides Team Darkness. Especially the Bulbasaur - his name was Tackle, and he was always talking. Literally, always. He never stopped. The other member was a Snivy named Night. He was the exact opposite of Tackle - always quiet, and always thinking suicidal thoughts. River seriously wondered if he would actually try to commit suicide one day. He always thought of Night as emo. _Does he cut himself? _

"River! River~! Stop thinking! I need to talk to you!" Tackle yelled, jumping on top of the Buizel and screeching at the top of his lungs.

"Geez...Tackle, you're nearly louder than Daisy's Echoed Voice!" River groaned, getting Tackle off of him.

"That was...a strange position." Shade looked at them with a disgusted face.

River let out a long sigh and stared at the entrance to the woods. "Are we gonna sit here all night or are we gonna get a move on? I want to do this quickly, you know!"

"But I need to talk to you!" cried Tackle, bouncing up and down and all around. "It's about Daisy."

"What about her?" River demanded, strangely liking the idea of talking about the pretty Umbreon. _Did I just call her pretty? _

"I don't think she ever met me, but... I sometimes see her at the dinner table talking to Skye, and I saw her through the...through the window." He gulped.

"WHAT?" yelled River. "You stalk her through HER OWN WINDOW?!"

"I-it's not like that!" Tackle whispered. River was surprised he was suddenly quiet. "It's...it's just that...it's just that I..."

"Get to the point," River muttered.

"It's just that I...um...I...I was just..."

"JUST SAY IT ALREADY!"

Tackle glared at him. "I think she likes Storm!"

River suddenly felt sad, as if everyone had died. His shoulders drooped, then went high again as he stared at the Bulbasaur. "Well? What does this have to do with me?" he growled.

"I...I just...t-thought...I thought...you...y-you...you liked...her, that's all," Tackle stammered. "So I told you that because...s-she just acts like her heart belongs to Storm, t-that's...all..." He suddenly had a slight interest in his paws.

River felt like lunging at someone. "I DO NOT LIKE HER! Now what made you think she likes Storm?" he demanded.

"She acts like it!" said Tackle, getting his loud personality back again. "I noticed you were always cheerful when around her, but she and Storm are the perfect couple! Right?!"

"Right," River muttered, even though it wasn't true. He hated the thought of Storm and Daisy together. _But why?_

"Let's get on with it already," snarled Shade. "We're wasting our time just talking here. We must enter the forest."

"He's scary," Tackle whispered to River.

Unfortunately, Shade overheard, casting a glare at the Bulbasaur. "Say that again and you'll be sorry you ever thought I was scary."

The Bulbasaur whimpered, staying next to River's side.

_What about Night? _River looked over his shoulder. The Snivy's expression was unreadable; he was staring straight ahead as he walked. _Wow... no one understands him... No wonder he has no friends; they all think he's weird! I wonder what Tackle does with him in bed. _

"So..." River said as they walked through the forest.

Everyone turned to look at him. Suddenly River wished he never said that word.

Tackle started talking, like always. "What do you wanna talk about? I need to talk about something!" he complained.

_You always find something to talk about._ "How about what you do with Night in bed?"

Tackle stared at him as if he'd gone crazy. River covered his mouth with his hands, realizing he shouldn't have said that. He tried not to look at Night, knowing he said that too loud and the Snivy might've overheard.

But no reply came, just some disgusted comments from Shade and Blast. Tackle looked about ready to throw up.

Finally, River looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened with surprise; the Snivy was throwing up all over the forest floor. He crouched down, gasping in pain, then reached over his back and grabbed a knife.

"Stop!" Shade ordered, walking over to him and grabbing the knife from his hands. "May I ask what made you this way, Night?"

The Snivy stared at him blankly, then blinked. He looked over at River, then threw up some more.

At that moment, something flashed in his eyes. River couldn't tell what it was, but something struck Night as familiar... He tried to shake the feeling off and focus on the present.

Shade looked at the knife. There was blood on it. Recoiling in disgust, he dropped the knife and let it land right next to Night. All they could do was watch as he picked up the knife once more and shook his hands. There was a nervous glint in his eyes. Finally, he wasn't expressionless.

Suddenly the image of a Cyndaquil appeared in River's mind, with a knife in his hand, ready to stab itself...

Then the image disappeared. River found himself standing in a pool of blood, but as he looked at his body, it wasn't his. He gasped in surprise. It was a Cyndaquil's.

_Something's up..._ the Buizel thought. _That Cyndaquil must have something to do with the meteors falling down this place... What else could it be? Why is he appearing in me and Daisy's dreams? _

Then the image disappeared, and River was back in Smoky Woods. He let out a moan as he stood up and brushed himself off. The others weren't paying attention to him, luckily; they were gaping at Night instead.

River looked at the Snivy. He was feeling himself all over the place with his knife. A tiny drop of blood spilled from his arm. Then he was aiming for his neck. Just before he could stab himself, Tackle lunged for him. "NIGHT! NO!"

The Snivy blinked and stared at Tackle as if he had woken up from a dream. He easily sidestepped; Tackle went crashing in the grass. The Bulbasaur lunged for him again.

"Doesn't this punk ever give up?" Night hissed under his breath, too low for anyone to hear. He continued to sidestep but the Bulbasaur continued to lunge for him.

Tackle and Night kept on doing that for what seemed like hours until the little Bulbasaur managed to grab the knife away from him. "Why do you always attempt suicide, Night?" Tackle asked worriedly.

"Why does it matter?" the Snivy hissed; his voice hoarse from not speaking. Everyone looked at each other in surprise; they didn't expect him to start talking.

"I'm throwing this knife away, Night! You will never try to kill yourself ever again!" growled the Bulbasaur.

Night shrugged. Apparently he didn't care. "Do what you want, Tackle. I have other ways."

River and Shade exchanged a glance. _Don't tell me he's gonna try to jump down from his window next! _

"Let's just... continue this mission," Shade started. "We need to find that Emolga before anyone else does."

River muttered curse words under his breath. They probably wasted hours talking with Tackle and trying to calm Night down.

"Good idea," said Blast. "This is really freaking me out."

River looked at Night. He was rolling his eyes, but his expression was unreadable.

"We're not even halfway through the forest!" Tackle yelled. "Let's GO!"

A roar from ahead cut out anything Tackle was going to say next. Everyone looked at each other with widened eyes as a Charizard flew down in front of them.


	9. Chapter 8: A Secret Spilled Out

"What do you want?" Daisy asked, annoyed. She just wanted some time alone, and why would Eclipse of all Pokemon need to talk to _her_? She didn't have time to think about the question before he responded.

"So, you're a human, huh?" the Houndoom growled.

Daisy let out an annoyed huff. If this was all Eclipse was going to talk about, she might as well leave. "Yes, why'd you ask? You figured that out a long time ago."

Eclipse looked at his paws. _Why does he look so scared? That isn't like him at all. _"Well, I'm a-"

"Daisy!" a voice growled from behind her. The Umbreon spun around to see a Jolteon. The Pokemon was Storm.

"What are you talking to Eclipse about? We have to get going," he said. "It's thunder storming out there. Flame told us to check on the clouds and see if we could find any meteors."

"Why?" Daisy asked. She could hear a growl from Eclipse, but ignored it.

Storm let out a sigh. "Lately, there have been more natural disasters than ever, and Flame decided to start patrols for lookouts whenever there's a thunderstorm. If there's something suspicious, we have to report it to her right away. It could mean something very bad... what if it hits the Guild?"

Daisy froze at that thought. "So we're going to be on the first patrol?"

Storm nodded. "Let's go. You can speak to Eclipse later. We need to hurry up!"

"Alright, alright," Daisy replied. She hurried after Storm, not looking over her shoulder to see what Eclipse was doing. _What was he going to tell me? _she wondered. She had to block the thought out as they reached the door. Storm opened it and stepped outside.

Daisy gasped as a blast of cold air hit her right in the face. Rain poured down; she was soaking wet the moment she stepped outside. As she looked in the clouds, she couldn't see anything that was horrible, but something caught her eye from the other side of the storm. Daisy had to squint to see what she saw.

"Storm, what's that?" Daisy pointed with her tail to the thing in the clouds. She could barely see it, but it was sort of in the shape of the circle...it looked like it was on fire...a meteor!

"That's a meteor!" he gasped. "We better get inside and report it to Flame," he added. "She won't like it, but at least it's not headed towards us. It looks incredibly far away.

Daisy sighed. _Our first patrol and there's a meteor already...Flame will be pissed._

"Flame!" Storm yelled, shaking himself off as he stepped on the carpet.

"Not on the carpet, please!" Flame roared. "Did you see anything bad?" The Charizard looked worried, as if she already knew that there was a meteor.

Storm apologized, and then went on: "We saw a meteor. It was really far away, and we could barely see it, but it was there."

Flame looked down at her huge feet. "I knew this would happen," she muttered. "There is something wrong. Arceus must be angry."

"What?" Daisy asked, looking at Flame.

"Never mind," the Charizard growled. "You can go back to whatever you were doing now. I'm going to talk to Eclipse."

_That's what I was going to do! _Daisy thought angrily. _Well, since I have nothing better to do, I'm going to eavesdrop on their conversation and wait for Eclipse to be done...wait, if I do that, Flame's going to give me a punishment... _The Umbreon sighed. _Make up your mind, Daisy!_

"Daisy! What are you doing?! The bell for lunch just rang!" Storm yelled. Daisy spun around, noticing Storm walk up to her. "It's cake!"

"Cake?" Daisy asked. "Why cake?"

"Eclipse told us today was his birthday," Storm replied. He suddenly had an interest in the carpet. "Mostly everyone was confused, but then he just said to make cake for his birthday."

_Pokemon don't know what birthdays are?_ Suddenly she felt something weird inside her. She looked away from Storm and saw Eclipse glaring at them from when he was talking to Flame. Right now he reminded her of some bully at her old school. He was _really _familiar. Then a thought crossed her mind - _Is Eclipse a human?  
_**~~~  
**River shot a glare at the Charizard in front of them. He tensed his muscles, ready to use Water Gun if he had to. This Charizard was _much _bigger and fatter than Flame was. It wouldn't be surprising if it actually killed them all in one hit.

Then he remembered overhearing Daisy talk to Moon about her rescue mission with Team Sun - was this the same Charizard that almost ate Storm? He shuddered, wondering if this one would try to eat his friends, or worse, _him_.

"Blast! Watch out!" Shade yelled, but it was too late. The Charizard's Flamethrower hurtled [?] straight towards him and the Squirtle didn't have enough time to sidestep. It landed right on his face, sending him flying.

"Blast!" Shade screamed, running over to his friend. The Charizard grabbed him and used Seismic Toss. Angered, River jumped high in the air and used Water Gun on the Charizard's back. Spitting out fire, eyes wide with pain, the Charizard dropped Shade and turned on River.

River used Water Gun once more. The Charizard didn't see it coming this fast; he was sent flying next to Blast. Moaning, he opened his eyes and sat up. "You idiots," he muttered. "I don't know what's gotten into Pokemon these days. They all just walk in Smoky Woods expecting to not get attacked."

_You don't know anything about our mission,_ River thought, smiling.

The Charizard growled, spitting out more fire. He flew up in the trees, out of sight. River looked around, expecting to see a Charizard fall down like a speeding bullet on top of their heads.  
"Run in the trees before he sees us!" Tackle hissed, running straight in a bramble bush.

River and Shade followed, but Shade had to pick up Blast because he fainted. _Sometimes I wonder why Blast even joined our rescue team if he's that weak... _he muttered under his breath.

It was then when he reached another bramble bush he realized that Night didn't follow. He was standing in the middle of the clearing, looking at the sky, probably waiting for the Charizard to come down.

"Night! Hurry!" Tackle hissed again.

But the Snivy showed no sign of hearing. And it was too late - the Charizard was flying towards him fast. Night closed his eyes as the enemy collided with him...  
**~~~  
**Daisy flashed a smile as she ate the chocolate cake._ I usually hate chocolate... Why does this taste good? _she thought.

"This is so good," Skye said, her face stuffed with chocolate. She nommed on it quickly.

"Hey...Skye...do you know what a birthday is?" Daisy asked.

"No, why? Is it a human word?" Skye looked at her. Her eyes widened in astonishment. "If it is, then there's no doubt Eclipse is a human!"

"Never mind..." Daisy said, excitement bursting through her chest. _Why am I so excited? I really don't want Eclipse to be a human like me._

Skye sighed. "But I'm not sure Eclipse is a human. He shouldn't be. He wouldn't lie."

_Psh, yeah right._

"I hope not," Daisy replied. "I don't want Eclipse being a human like me."

The Ninetales laughed. "You got that right! Eclipse is pretty annoying, even if we're on the same team."

Daisy nodded. She ate a huge chunk out of her cake and started nomming on it. Almost as soon as it started, lunch ended when Flame started to roar.

"Alright, everyone!" she yelled. "Lunch's over! Get back to your duties!"

Daisy sighed, realizing that she had only ate half her cake. She jumped off the chair and used the opportunity to talk to Eclipse about what he was going to say.

Unfortunately Snow beat her to it. Daisy sighed as the Mightyena walked over to Eclipse and started to tremble.

"What now?" Eclipse muttered. Surprise hit the Umbreon as she realized he wasn't annoyed.

"Flame said we're going on a rescue team mission together tomorrow," Snow blurted out. She looked at him in the eyes.

"That's good," he muttered again. "You didn't have to tell me."

Snow looked at her paws. "Well, I'm sorry for bringing it up..."

When the Mightyena left, Daisy tried to go up to Eclipse, but then thunder boomed overhead. _We're going to need another patrol again... _she thought, and sure enough, Flame called Team Darkness over. _Right when I was going to talk to him! _Daisy growled in frustration, hoping no one heard.

"Team Darkness!" Flame yelled. "Yet again there's a thunderstorm, right when it stopped. I want you to go on the patrol and report to me if you see anything bad."

Eclipse dipped his head. "Right on it, Flame." He stalked off with Skye at his heels, flicking his tail for Moon to follow.

Before Daisy could do anything else, Flame walked up to her. "You want to talk to Eclipse, don't you?" she questioned.

Daisy gasped. "How did you know?"

Flame narrowed her eyes. "Don't worry. After he's done with the patrol, I'll make sure he doesn't have any more... interruptions." She glanced at Snow, who was lying next to the elevator, washing herself.

Daisy laughed. "You knew that, too?"

Flame flashed a smile. "It's kind of obvious."

"What is?"

Daisy spun around to see Storm bolting towards them. "It's raining again!" he grumbled. "This is horrible! Any more and I'll kill myself."

_Uh-huh, _Daisy thought, giving him a sympathetic look. He could be annoying continuously complaining about the rain, but with all these thunderstorms occurring, she could understand why.

"Now, Storm," Flame said. "It's just rain. At least you're safe in the Guild."

"But what if a meteor hits us?" Storm asked, flashing a scared look at Daisy.

Flame rolled her eyes. "That's never happened before, and you know it. Don't worry about it, okay?" she replied. I'm going to check on how Team Darkness is doing."

Storm sighed, watching as she left, then turned towards Daisy. "Sometimes I wonder how that Charizard can handle rain. She's a _fire type_."

Daisy laughed. "You're right on that, but I expected you to like rain."

"Not all Jolteons do," Storm growled.

"Well, I'm going to go out there and check for meteors, too," Daisy pointed out. "I'm not afraid of the rain."

Storm opened his mouth to shoot a retort at her. "What if we get hit by a meteor or something? Whenever there's rain, there's always a meteor!"

"Not _always_," Daisy corrected him. "Can I go now?"

Storm sighed. "Fine, but be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm not a child," Daisy snapped, spinning around and stalking off. _Storm has no right to treat me like a little kid! Why does he do that, anyway?_

As soon as she opened the door, a blast of cold wind hit her like earlier. Her face stung from the cold as she padded on. Daisy couldn't even see anything, but luckily she recognized the voices of Flame and Eclipse:

"I can't see anything over this stupid rain!" Eclipse shouted.

"Hey - is that a meteor?" Moon screamed. Daisy pictured her pointing with her paw towards the clouds.

"Who knows?" Flame growled. "Eclipse's right; we can't see anything!"

"Why are you out here in this mess?" Skye pointed out loudly. "You're not the one who's on a patrol!"

Daisy crouched down under a bush so they wouldn't see her. She flicked her ears, trying to hear more over the whistling of wind and the clap of thunder.

Flame sighed deeply. "I was checking to see how you were."

"We're not kids!" Moon defended herself. "We can go out here on our own!"

"I never said you were!" Flame shouted. "Let's go inside; I doubt the meteor is headed towards us, and if it is, we're screwed. But that's extremely unlikely."

Moon screamed and Eclipse had to put his tail around her to calm the young Vulpix. "It's okay," he promised. Daisy felt a stab of surprise at how gentle he was. _Earlier he was rude to Moon. Why is he being so nice now? _she wondered. "We'll be safe," he continued.

"Like hell we will," Moon whispered, but Daisy could hear more clearly as the rain began to ease.

"It's clearing up!" Flame yelled. "Look!"

Daisy stared at the clouds. Sure enough, they were parting to show patches of blue sky. She sighed with relief. Now she could see the meteor - it was going pretty fast and headed not far from them. Just before it landed, it fired up and disappeared behind the town.

"I've never seen one like that before!" Moon gaped in astonishment.

Eclipse stared, round-eyed, at where the meteor was a second ago. "It seems like it's getting closer and closer every thunderstorm we get," he growled.

Moon hid behind Skye. "What if there's another one today?" she whimpered.

Skye turned and licked her forehead. "I doubt it; the thunderstorm is starting to stop."

Flame frowned. "It doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon, Skye. The clouds are coming back."

Daisy noticed the patches of blue sky being covered up once more. She trembled. _Will this storm ever stop?_

Moon whimpered again, running up to the entrance to the Guild.

"Daisy? What are you doing in there?" Flame asked, following Moon and putting her hands on her hips as she stared at the bush.

Daisy stood up and walked out, feeling embarrassed. "I just wanted to check out the storm," she answered.

Flames sighed. "Remember what I told you about eavesdropping?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" she retorted. "I wanted to check out the storm and see if there were any meteors. Is that wrong?"

"No...But don't do it again, okay?" Flame replied before stomping to the door.

Skye and Eclipse exchanged glances, and then followed. Daisy and Moon walked side by side as they entered the door.

"Night!" Tackle screeched, running out of the bush and flinging himself at the Charizard.

"Are you nuts?!" River growled, following him. The Charizard looked up in surprise from munching on the Snivy's head, then turned on Tackle and opened his mouth.

Angry, River stalked up behind him on light footsteps and used Water Gun right in the middle of his back. The Charizard widened his eyes, and then fell over. While he was stunned, Tackle used his Vine Whip to try and carry him. Then he sweat dropped. "It's too heavy!" he complained.

Shade let out a long sigh. He ran towards the Charizard like a speeding bullet and hit him straight in the head. The Charizard was even more stunned as he lay down and closed his eyes.

"That was easy!" River said.

Unfortunately, their luck didn't last. The Charizard shot up and lunged for Shade, hitting him in the head, too. "Now we're even!" he said with a laugh, flying around the forest in circles. "You can't catch me!" he taunted.

"That Charizard needs to shut up!" Tackle growled. "If he's looking for a fight, then he'll have one! Why is he wasting his time?!"

Shade groaned, rubbing his head. "If he's not going to fight us, then that's good, Tackle! Let's get out of here before any other Pokemon wakes up!"

"Uh... Shade..." River whispered. A nearby Cyndaquil was walking to them with a huge smile on its face.

"What now?" Shade asked, catching the Buizel's eye.

River pointed to the large Cyndaquil. In his hand, there was a knife.

"What are you pointing at?" Tackle asked, flopping down on the floor and resting his head on his paws.

Shade nodded. "Tackle's right; I don't see a thing."

The Cyndaquil was getting closer. River took a giant step back. It was inches from his face now.

Suddenly it disappeared. Literally. First his paws, then his body, then his arms, and then his face. River stared in surprise where it was a second ago.

"Are you done staring at nothing?" Shade snarled. "We got to get a move on before the Charizard finds us! Someone hand me Blast."

Tackle darted to the bush, then got back out with a Squirtle.

"This is perfect," Shade mumbled, rolling Blast around as they walked. "A fainted Pokemon with a forest filled with enemies. Why did _we _have to go to Smoky Woods?"

"We're Silver Rank," River pointed out.

Shade stared at him. "So what? Everyone knows Blast is worthless. He's going to die if we don't continue to train him."

River stared at the Squirtle. Shade was right. There was never one battle when he didn't faint. If he wasn't good enough, would he have to quit being in a rescue team? After all, with many missions to come, he was in danger of dying. _But Blast can't venture out alone... Can he?_

Suddenly his eyelids drooped, and he remembered that they had been walking all night. "I'm tired," he announced. "Should we stop and rest?"

Shade nodded. "I want to get a move on; that Charizard's probably going to attack at any moment, but you're right. We've been in the woods all night."

Without waiting for any other words, River sighed and lay down in a nearby bush. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Daisy stared at the clock on the wall next to the elevator. The time said 3:30. Yawning, she walked over to a corner and sat down. It wasn't even close to dinner time yet.

Suddenly she remembered what she had to talk to Eclipse about.

"Eclipse?" she asked a bit too loudly, walking over to where she thought the Houndoom was.

Luckily, Eclipse heard her from talking to Skye. "In a minute," he grunted, clearly surprised she wanted to talk to him.

Daisy decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, curious on what they were talking about. She crouched down and hid under the table with her belly flat to the ground.

"That's rude, Eclipse," Skye was snapping. "She's still young. We can't just tell her, "Oh, hey, Moon! I'm sorry, but you're not good enough to be in a rescue team anymore." Don't you know how much that'll hurt her?"

Eclipse sighed. "You have a point, but still. She's always too scared to do anything. She's afraid of thunderstorms, hates fighting, and did you realize Blast was the same way?"

"That's different. Blast is older. He should be more experienced. I'll talk to Flame about him not being in a rescue team anymore, but Moon _is _still a member of Team Darkness." Without another word, she stalked off.

Eclipse flicked his tail angrily, and then looked around the room. Daisy walked out from under the table and sat in front of him. "We need to talk."

"I was trying to talk to you," Eclipse snapped. "But there were too many things keeping us away from each other."

Daisy looked at her paws. "So, what were you going to talk to me about earlier?"

Eclipse shuffled his paws nervously. "Well, you're a human, right?"

"Of course."

"I'm a-"

Suddenly a Mightyena walked in between them. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Eclipse?" she said politely. "Sorry if I bother you and you're talking about something important, but..."

To Daisy's surprise, there was a flicker of amusement in Eclipse's eyes. "I'll talk to you soon, Snow. This is pretty important."

Snow nodded, then walked away, giving no sign that she was listening to their conversation. _She better not be._

"Okay, Daisy," Eclipse started. "Have you wondered if I'm a human?"

Excitement shone in the Umbreon's eyes. "Just this afternoon, when you asked to have cake for your birthday."

"Well...those are human words," continued the Houndoom. "And I wanted to let you know, that... I'm a human too."

Daisy stared in shock at him. "I kind of guessed that, but... It's hard to believe that you are!"

Eclipse smiled, making her even more stunned. "Now I need to talk to Snow."

_I wonder if he's starting to like her, _Daisy thought as Eclipse and Snow went over to the corner. _Maybe I should eavesdrop on their conversation, too._

She hid under a chair and crouched down, keeping her ears pricked for their voices.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk," Snow began. "At Golden Hills."

Daisy expected for him to grumble something rude, but he actually smiled again. "I'd love to." _What's going on?_

"Hey, can I come with?" The Umbreon nearly flinched at this new sound; Moon was padding over to them.

Eclipse sighed in exasperation. "It's just the two of us."

Snow frowned. The Vulpix was giving them the puppy dog eyes. "Give her a chance, okay, Eclipse?" she whispered in his ear, just loud enough for Daisy to overhear if she perked her ears enough. "We can go out later. Maybe at night where no one can stop us."

"Alright, you can come," Eclipse muttered. "Let's hope it's not raining."

"It's probably drizzling," Snow pointed out. "But I love a good rain now and then."

The Houndoom nodded. "Me, too. But still - it's been raining for a while. I'm getting really annoyed; especially when meteors usually fall during storms."

"I've seen a couple meteors when I was with Silver..." Snow began. She sighed, clearly thinking of the memory. "It was when I was still with her father." A flicker of sadness shown in her eyes. "He left and never came back the day after. But when it was drizzling, I saw...a meteor shower. It was beautiful."

Something flashed in Eclipse's eyes. Daisy flinched in surprise, nearly knocking over the chair. Was that... _jealousy?_ She thought about it for a moment. _No... It couldn't be. How would Eclipse like Snow? The only thing she does is moon over him. _She nearly lost what Eclipse said next.

"That's nice," he mumbled. "I remember a meteor shower. It was beautiful, but... not to the Guild. We were worried if it would hit us."

Snow nodded. "We had nothing to worry about, honestly. I never thought of hit hitting our den. You shouldn't be afraid of meteors."

"But they happen _every night_!" Moon screeched, making everyone in Floor One turn and look at them. Daisy crouched lower under the chair.

Snow glared at the Pokemon watching them. "Don't worry about it, Moon," she hissed. "You attracted attention, too. It's unlikely to hit us."

Moon looked at her paws. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's right to be worried, though, isn't it?"

Snow nodded gently. "You are right to be worried. But try not to scream too loud, okay?" She licked the Vulpix behind the ears. "I think it's time for a walk."

"You want to race to Golden Hills?!" Moon asked excitedly.

Smiling, Snow looked over at Eclipse. "I'd love to."

Eclipse shrugged. "That's fine. Exercise is nice."

Daisy shot one last look at them before walking away from the table. She sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws as the voices of Eclipse, Snow, and Moon disappeared.

"Hey, have you seen River?" a voice asked from behind. Daisy spun around, startled, to realize it was Sky.

Daisy shook her head. "Isn't he on a mission with Team Vine?" She never met the members of Team Vine, but she overheard some other Pokemon talking about them before.

"Yeah, but he's been gone for...two days," answered Sky.

Daisy shrugged. "That's Smoky Woods for you."

Sky still didn't seem convinced. "Alright, well... thanks, Daisy. I was just wondering." She sprinted off to the elevator.

_What's wrong with her? _thought Daisy, tilting her head to one side. _She seems... odd. Eh, I'll worry about it later._

Right after she began to walk toward the elevator, the dinner bell rang. _Finally! _But something still worried her. If Team Waterfall and Team Vine were still gone... did that mean they might be dead? She gulped as she jumped on her chair, Skye and Moon beside her. _Try not to think about it..._

River woke up to see a bush. He yawned, remembering that he was in Smoky Woods, on a rescue team mission. Staring at the sky, he had to squint with his eyes to look at the sun. It cast a long shadow over him. _It seems huge today. Is it afternoon already? _he thought. Suddenly he saw a couple of stars next to it. _That's the moon, idiot! I must be too tired... _He yawned again, falling back down to the ground.

"River! River!" a voice whispered in his ear.

River rolled over, groaning. "Who are you?"

"River! River!" This time, his other ear.

"Leave me alone!" River covered his ears.

A force landed on top of him, clawing his back. River widened his eyes in surprise, then rolled over again, sending the force crashing to the ground.

Tackle stared at him with huge eyes. "Want to go for a walk? I can't fall asleep."

_I'm half asleep. I mistook the moon for the sun. _"How could you not be tired?" River whispered, stifling a huge yawn.

"It's only sunset!" Tackle announced.

River stared up at the sky again. He was right. There was a hint of orange on the horizon, and it wasn't pitch black yet, but the moon was up in the sky, huge and red. _What kind of moon is that? _he thought, shuddering.

"It's probably dinner at the Guild right now," River replied. Suddenly he realized it was drizzling. _This is weird. Why is the moon up already and why is there no cloud in the sky when it's drizzling?_

As soon as he thought that, white puffy clouds began to pile up to cover the moon, and it started raining harder. It wasn't long before it was a downpour.

Suddenly a force knocked into him again. River stared in surprise, and then rolled over.

"I told you he was asleep!" Tackle grunted.

An Empoleon shook his head. "He's too tired. Let's leave him alone."

River glared at his two friends. "I'm not leaving without you!" he growled. The rain seemed to wake him up.

Shade and Tackle exchanged weird glances, before nodding. "Alright, then. We're going further into the forest."

"Is Blast awake?" River asked.

Shade nodded. "Yes, thank Arceus. He's just a little tired from the fight. Someone needs to carry him - we can't leave him alone."

River and Tackle both looked at Shade.

Shade sighed with exasperation. "Fine, but don't expect me to carry him next time," he muttered.

"Where's Night?" River asked as his team leader picked up Blast.

Tackle looked at his paws.

Shade glared at the Bulbasaur. "We can't afford to have to go looking for someone in this creepy forest! It'll be two days since we're gone starting tomorrow!"

"So-rry," Tackle whispered.

"As far as I know, he could've killed himself already," Shade mumbled, irritation pricking at his claws. "You need to watch him more often."

Tackle widened his eyes. "_Killed _himself?" he repeated. "I can't let that happen!" He began to sprint down the path and more into the undergrowth.

"I can't run that fast with this weight!" Shade growled.

River ignored him; running like the wind as he chased Tackle. "Come back!" he screeched, but it was too late. Tackle had already disappeared into the woods.

Shade glanced at him. "This is just great. What if we have to explain to Flame that they're missing?"

River tapped his foot angrily. "We're going to have to go looking for them, then."

Blast let out a sigh from where he lay on Shade's back. "Is it okay if I fall asleep?"

River shot him a glare. "Fine."

Together, the three - well, two - trekked through the forest in search of Team Vine.


	10. Chapter 9: Meteor Shower

Daisy jumped as the dinner bell rang. She sighed, embarassed with herself, as she walked to the table and sat in her chair. Bacon. _Of course, _she thought as she bit into the meat. It tasted delicious and warm on her tongue.

"Hi," Skye started, making her flinch. "I've been waiting to ask you this question for a while. Do you know where Team Waterfall is?"

The Umbreon sighed. Sky asked her the same question. _Why is everyone worrying about them? They've been gone for nearly two days._ "They're in Smoky Woods. Who knows what's going on in that creepy place?"

Skye was about to reply, when a bell was rang. Daisy flinched again; dinner was already over?

Flame was standing over the table, anger and worry in her eyes. "Has anyone seen Snow, Eclipse, or Moon?" she demanded.

Daisy looked at her paws. She knew they were on a walk, but if the Charizard asked how she knew... Flame would give her a punishment for eavesdropping.

Everyone exchanged baffled glances; clearly they didn't overhear the three talking.

"Very well." The anger and worry changed to dissapointment. "If they and Team Waterfall aren't back by tomorrow, I will send a search party. You may continue eating."

"Wow..." Skye said, dropping her jaw. "Smoky Woods is a scary place. No wonder we had to send a search party for Team Flash; now we have to send one for Team Waterfall?" She shuddered. "What if they're dead?"

Daisy's face fell. Sky said the same thing. Why did everyone think they were dead? It was only a day. Were they scared of Smoky Woods _that_ much?

"What if they're dead?" Skye repeated impatiently.

Sighing, Daisy ate another piece of her bacon. "I don't know," she answered in between chewing. "What if the sun never comes up tomorrow?"

"What?" the Ninetails asked, tilting her head.

"Nevermind," Daisy growled. "Let's just eat and not worry about anything, okay?"

Skye frowned. "What put you in a bad mood, Daisy?"

The Umbreon didn't answer.

"Well...Aren't you worried about River?"

Daisy perked her ears.

"Aren't you?" Skye insisted. "Don't you like him?"

Daisy glared at her friend. "What are you talking about?"

"Storm thinks you like River," Skye explained. "He's always muttering something under his breath and letting out angry huffs whenever you're talking with him."

Daisy rolled her eyes.

"It's true!" said Skye. "I think he's just jealous."

"There's nothing to be jealous of!" Daisy snarled. "We're just friends! I don't know what's up with him."

Skye frowned, changing the topic quickly. "Did you notice that it hasn't stopped raining? It started yesterday. It's almost been two days."

Daisy ate a chunk of bacon. "Mmm."

"I'm worried," Skye continued. "There may be more meteors. We might have one hit the Guild."

Daisy stared at her, urging her to keep on talking.

"I've been having these dreams..." Skye hesitated. "It was of a meteor not far from the Guild, in the same rainstorm that's occuring right now. You were in it, with Storm, and you were on patrol because it was a downpour out there. Then the meteor just fell and nearly hit the Guild, but someone was there... I couldn't tell who it was... but they were saving someone else from it, and they ended up dying."

"How come I haven't?" Daisy asked.

Skye looked at her paws. "The 'someone else' was a Houndoom. I think it was Eclipse. He would've died if..." Again, she hesitated."...if the other Pokemon didn't save him."

"And that other Pokemon died?" Daisy questioned.

Skye nodded.

"We have no proof that this is going to happen," pointed out Daisy. "It could be just a nightmare."

"I doubt it," Skye growled. "I've been having them for a week now."

Daisy frowned. _Who's the Pokemon that will die? If this is true... _"Well, don't worry about it righht now. For all I know it's probably just a nightmare."

"No." Skye shook her head. "I believe it's real. It's like someone is warning me to try to stop it from happening."

"To stop Eclipse from getting saved?" Personally, Daisy didn't care if the Houndoom died, even if he was a human, too.

"No... to stop the meteor hitting the Guild."

Daisy sighed. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"I don't know, but there must be a way," Skye replied.

Suddenly Daisy flinched. The bell rang again - dinner was over.

She sighed as she jumped down from the chair and walked over to Storm. "I'm going to try to find Snow, Eclipse, and Moon," she began. "Who knows what they're up to?"

Storm looked worriedly at the door. "Make sure there aren't any meteors."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "There won't be." She flicked her tail and walked over to the entrance, before being confronted by a Charizard.

"Where are you going?" Flame demanded. "I don't want another Guild member going missing!"

"I'm just going to find Snow, Eclipse, and Moon," the Umbreon replied. "Is that okay?"

Flame frowned. "Okay, but make sure no one tags along with you."

Daisy nodded. "I'll make sure."

As soon as Flame left, she pushed open the door and immediately got hit by rain. Squinting against the chilly drops, she padded onward toward the steep cliff that led toward Smoky Woods. _Thank Arceus that's not the place we have to pass to reach Golden Hills._ She took a sharp turn once she reached the entrance and walked towards the hills. A more earthier scent filled her nostrils and she sighed with relief as trees began to clear out into a large hill.

"Hey!" she heard a voice say. Was that Eclipse?

"You can't catch me!" another one teased. Snow.

As Daisy padded quicker into the moors, the voices became louder. "This game is fun!" squeaked Moon.

Finally, their shapes appeared in view. She crouched under a bush and watched as Eclipse flicked Moon with his tail. "Got you!"

Moon yelped and chased after him. Together, the three darted across the hills. Daisy smiled at the thought of doing that with River, or even Storm. _But he's so grumpy and worried about meteors all the time._

Suddenly she snapped out of the thought and rose to her paws. "Hey!" she whispered to Moon, who was running towards her like a speeding bullet with Eclipse not far behind.

"No tag backs!" he was growling.

Moon skidded to a stop and stared at her in surprise. Eclipse followed right behind her and flicked his tail against her ear. "Got you. And Daisy, what are you doing here?"

Daisy hesitated for a moment. "Flame was wondering where you were, so I had to try and find you." No way was she going to admit she eavesdropped on their conversation. What if Eclipse told on her? He was the kind to tattletale.

Eclipse frowned. He exchanged a glance with Snow, who was padding up to them from the top of the hill. Before the Houndoom could reply, Snow murmured, "That's fine. We'll go with you."

Daisy swerved[?] around the bush and sprinted towards the trees. Rain splattered all over her pelt as she jumped into the undergrowth. Bushes were dotted here and there, but it was mostly covered in trees. _We're in Smoky Woods. But how did we get here?_

"Where are we?" Snow muttered anxiously.

Eclipse glared at the trees. "Smoky Woods. How in the world did we end up here?"

Snow's gaze dropped to the ground. "This is the place where I got kidnapped!"

"The Raichus and Vaporean are probably gone now," Daisy reassured her. But she wasn't convinced herself. If River and the others really were dead, what other mysteries were to be found in these woods?

River noticed Shade's angry expression as he carried Blast down the steep hill farther into the woods. He couldn't blame the Empoleon. Night just run off on his own, and he probably killed himself already, but Tackle was really annoying. The Bulbasaur darted down the path in search of his partner without giving the others a chance to catch up. He felt angry himself at the two members of Team Vine.

Shade didn't speak as the two trotted into even more undergrowth. River felt a tick land on his head, and he shook it off with a sigh. "This place is getting even more creepier," he said.

Blast looked up at the moon shining high above them. It was still red. "How about we stop for the night?" he suggested tiredly. The Squirtle's voice sounded hoarse.

Exsasperated, Shade answered, "We still need to find Night and Tackle. If we lose them, what will we report to Flame?"

Blast didn't answer.

"Exactly. We have to keep moving. Blast, you're going to have to get off my back once we find them, because you're getting really heavy."

Blast groaned. "Come on, Shade!"

The Empoleon shook his head. "Before you know it, this mission will be over. Now keep moving," he grunted to River.

River glared at him, but followed anyway as they emerged into a grassy clearing. A small river lapped at the sandy shore as it entered a nearby lake. Trees closed in on either side. "Thank Arceus we're out of there," River said, relieved. Those woods were really creeping him out.

"Team Vine should be here somewhere," Shade muttered, keeping a close eye on every bush or reed they could find.

River jumped on the stepping stones and landed lightly on the bank. "Can you make it?" he yelled to Shade.

"Of course!" Shade growled back. "I'm not that weak!"

River rolled his eyes. He darted over to the lake and looked at his reflection in the water. Water hit his back; startled, the Buizel flinched and spun around. "Who's there?" he snarled.

Tackle was giggling from a honeysuckle bush. "You should've seen the look on your face!" he squeaked.

River glared at him. "Don't ever run away from us like that again!"

Tackle didn't reply, just said, "I couldn't find Night anywhere. Who knows where he is?"

A growl rumbled in River's throat and he leaned in. "If you had been watching him, none of this would've happened."

Tackle took a step back. "Woah, woah, woah. You didn't ask me to watch him, and neither did Shade! Why are you blaming me?"

River still stared at him as if he were a threat. "We had to go looking all over for you! Come along, now, and I'll make sure to tell Flame everything." He turned away to trot upstream.

"Ouch!" a squeak came from behind.

River turned around with a huff. "What is it now?"

Tackle glanced at his paws. The Buizel could see a small trickle of blood drop from his forehead. "Where did that come from?"

Tackle looked up at him again. "There was a...Vaporean," he breathed.

River's heart sank. _It's the Vaporean Daisy was talking about to Moon, isn't it?_

"She had a rope. It was literally floating in mid air! And then she chased me around before disappearing."

River growled to himself. "What if she got Night?"

"I-I don't know," Tackle whispered. "Maybe she found us when we were sleeping and took him."

"That is not good," River replied. "Let me tell this to Shade."

After the Empoleon walked over to them, River told him everything Tackle had said, and how the Vaporean used her magic to make a rope appear out of nowhere.

Shade grunted. "So you think she took Night, huh?" He glared at the Bulbasaur.

Tackle shrank under his gaze. "Y-yes," he answered. "Isn't that a good reason?"

Shade stared at him even more. Then he glanced across the lake. "You're probably right. Let's go."

Daisy looked worriedly at the cover of trees around them. "Let's head back and choose another way," she suggested. "I don't like the looks of this place."

"Like we don't know," Snow muttered; the Umbreon could tell she was trembling.

"Don't worry," Eclipse whispered to her, only loud enough for Daisy to hear if she perked her ears. "We'll be safe."

Moon whimpered and hid in between Snow's legs. "I hate Smoky Woods!"

"I know you do," Eclipse said. "But sometimes we have to go there."

Daisy lifted her chin, looking at the trees again. "Come on, let's head back."

"Who knows what Flame will say if we go missing like Team Waterfall and Vine?" Snow asked as they turned around.

Daisy shuddered. "Let's pray that doesn't happen."

"It's probably going to happen," Eclipse grunted.

Moon whimpered again.

"Don't think bad!" Daisy hissed at Eclipse. "You're going to scare Moon."

"I'm not a child!" Moon growled.

"Yeah, you are," Daisy pointed out.

"No, I'm not!" Moon retorted.

Snow walked in between the two. "What Daisy is trying to say is that you're a little young," she said gently.

"But I'm not!" Moon cried.

"Just shut up and let's get on with it," Eclipse growled.

Daisy rolled her eyes. Eclipse did have a point. She was growing impatient from the argument about Moon, and they had to hurry up and go back to the Guild before Flame sent out a search party.

Snow sighed, licking the Vulpix's ears. "He's right. We have to go."

Moon shot a glare at Eclipse when he wasn't looking, and Snow purred with amusement. "What?" Eclipse turned back sharply.

"Nothing," Snow answered.

Daisy walked away, sick of their talking, and tried to follow a different direction. But there were trees all around and she couldn't find anything that would mean a way out.

Suddenly Eclipse flicked his tail. "Look!"

Daisy spun around to see what Eclipse was pointing out. She widened her eyes in surprise; there was a huge light right in front of them. "It must be the way out!"

Whimpering with excitement, Moon burst through the trees.

Snow and Eclipse exchanged glances before following.

Daisy smiled at the Vulpix's enthusiasm, but she was bit worried, too. What if the light was something different other than a way out?

"Moon!" Eclipse growled. "Don't go too far!"

Moon didn't answer.

Daisy's heart skipped a beat as the three picked up the pace. The light eventually grew stronger and stronger until Daisy had to close her eyes to avoid the brightness.

"Ouch!" a voice said from in front of them. Daisy slowly opened her eyes.

A Charizard was lying down on the grass with Moon giving it a bunch of bites. "That's what you get for blocking the exit, you stupid poohead!"

"Moon," Eclipse growled, "come back here right now!"

"Not until he leaves!" Moon snarled.

"Do it or I'll make you." Eclipse's voice was filled with impatience.

Moon slowly jumped down from the Charizard's belly, glaring at him. "Do you promise to send us back to Earth Town?"

The Charizard narrowed his eyes. "Fine. But don't ever come back if you know what's good for you."

Flashing a smile at Eclipse, Moon stalked off towards the light.

"Wow, she's good at convincing Pokemon," Snow purred. "Maybe she's not a baby after all."

Eclipse didn't say anything, just followed the Vulpix on heavy pawsteps.

Snow and Daisy exchanged an odd glance before following.

"Hopefully Flame won't send a search party for us," Daisy panted once they caught up to Moon.

"They better not," Eclipse snarled. "We've had enough trouble as it is. All these meteors, losing Team Waterfall and Team Vine, troubles in Smoky Woods, what could go worse?"

Daisy looked around, expecting some Pokemon to pop out and attack them.

"We better keep quiet," Snow murmured. "I don't want Pokemon attacking us the last minute."

"Then we better hurry up and get our butts in the Guild, or else we're gonna get mauled!" Eclipse yelled.

"_Quiet!_" hissed Snow. Everyone stared at her in awe; clearly they hadn't expected her to start having a loud personality.

Eclipse padded on without another word.

River padded beside the marshy reed bed by the lake, muttering under his breath from the wet icky stuff. He tip-toed himself across the other side.

"You know, I don't have high hopes that Night is okay," Shade murmured.

Tackle glared at him. "That's the wrong thing to say!"

"He's right," River said. The sound of Blast's snoring drowned his voice out. _Oh, great... What a lazy pain in the butt. He shouldn't even be in our rescue team if he's just gonna slow us down._

Shade seemed to be thinking the same thoughts. "It won't be long until Flame sends a search party. What will we do if Blast starts to slow us down?"

"Leave him here," Tackle snarled. "We need to get to Night _now_!"

"Leave him here?" Shade sounded uncertain. "In the middle of Smoky Woods? He'd be toast before night comes."

River looked up at the sky, noticing the moon drifting higher and higher. "Dinner's probably long over by now. Should we get some sleep?"

"Not until we find Night!" Tackle hissed.

"Tackle, relax," Shade growled. River could tell he was becoming more impatient by the second. "We might be able to find him, but don't expect him to be un-injured."

Tackle's face fell. "That doesn't make me feel better."

River felt a stab of sympanthy for the young Bulbasaur. Even though Night barely talked, Tackle wanted to find his partner safe and sound somewhere, and he liked that. Still, his eyes started to droop and he felt himself slowing down.

"It's getting late," Shade began. "We should rest."

Tackle skidded to a stop and turned on the Empoleon. "We should find Night before even thinking about resting!" he hissed.

River was surprised at his bravery and anger, but Shade wasn't. "Sorry, Tackle, but we have to stop for the night," was all he said.

Tackle glared at him, but didn't say a word. River sighed and plopped down on the marshy bed, not caring that it was wet. All he thought about was sleep as he closed his eyes and drifted off.

By the time the three Pokemon reached the Guild, Flame was tapping her foot angrily in front of the grate. "Where were you?" she demanded. "I almost had to send a search party because I thought you were missing!"

Daisy looked at her paws.

"Sorry," Snow muttered. "We got lost and ended up in Smoky Woods."

"What were you doing, anyway?" Flame glared at Snow, Eclipse, and Moon as if they were a threat.

"We were just on a walk," Eclipse growled.

Flame shook her head and sighed. "No more walks, okay? I can't afford losing any more members from that creepy place."

"Any _more_?" Daisy echoed.

Flame stared at her in disbelief. "Well..." She hesitated. "We used to have a Raichu named Thunder around here, and he left to go search for Team Sun when they get lost over in Smoky Woods."

Daisy raised an eyebrow.

"Team Sun eventually came back, but Thunder was never found, even when we sent a search party to go look for him," Flame continued. "I'm not sure what happened, but, it's best to think that he died."

"When was this?" Daisy asked.

"A week before you were found on the shore," Flame admitted.

Daisy wondered who this Thunder was. She looked at Eclipse, hoping for answers.

"Thunder was part of a rescue team called Team Ray." Eclipse growled and looked at his paws. "I hated him. He was always stirring up trouble." He lowered his voice so only Snow, Moon, and Daisy could hear. "I honestly think he was the reason Star and Stream died."

"Who are they?"

Eclipse glanced at her. "Star was an Umbreon, like you, and Stream was a Vaporean. They were his partners."

"An Umbreon, like Daisy?" Moon gasped. "I thought those were rare."

"Yeah, and so are every one of the eveelutions," Eclipse snapped. "For some reason, we have a lot of them now. Stream, Star, Storm, Daisy... and that one magic Vaporean Daisy saw on her mission."

Eclipse padded closer. "I liked Star," he murmured so Snow couldn't hear. "She was sweet and kind. She never got into any trouble and liked to keep peace between everyone..." He shot a glance at Snow. "Like her. I blamed myself of her death. I used to be with her all the time, and I wasn't there when she went missing. Everyone thinks she died. I didn't for a while, but then I saw her body."

Daisy gasped. Eclipse _liked_ someone? That was extremely hard to believe. _And did he just admit he likes Snow?_

"It was in Smoky Woods. Me and Team Vine were there to rescue a Bisharp." The words tumbled out like a waterfall. "Then I saw her body covered in moss, right next to the lake that is the center of Smoky Woods. All of us were horrified, but we couldn't find Stream anywhere. She was probably washed away in the lake or something, but I was glad we could bury Star normally and that she wasn't washed away." Eclipse looked at his paws. "I wanted to carry on believing that she was alive, but I knew that I couldn't think like that forever."

"I'm sorry about that," Daisy replied awkwardly. "I didn't know."

"Now you do," Eclipse growled. "She looks just like you, though. The shiny red eyes, the rings that are in the same place, and that..." He suddenly gasped and started to back away. "She has a white paw just like yours, on her right foreleg!"

Daisy glanced at her paws. She'd never noticed that before, honestly. "Maybe it's just a coincidence," she said, hoping it was true. "There are a lot of Umbreons-"

"A _lot_?" Eclipse hissed. "Those are the rarest Pokemon ever! You _must _be Star!"

Daisy started to back away. "Have... have you lost your mind? I have no clue who Star is."

"Don't lie to me," the Houndoom growled. "I know it's you."

Before Daisy could reply, a voice sounded from in front of them. "Hey! Are you coming or what?"

Daisy spun around to notice Flame glaring at them, tapping her foot again. "Sorry!" she whispered, running up to the Charizard.

She noticed Eclipse's angry gaze boring into her as they walked through the door. She hardly flinched at Sentry Digglet's words now as she stepped onto the grate._ So Eclipse must have been a Pokemon before me. Kind of odd. Maybe River was, too... But I'm not sure about that. Team Waterfall could've achieved Silver Rank right after he joined. He could've joined about the same time as me._

Daisy stopped right next to the table and started to wash herself. Brambles and thorns were caught in her fur. It had been a long day, and she was just ready to get a good night's sleep.

"It's been raining hard lately," she heard someone say. Daisy looked over her shoulder to see Snow. The Mightyena finally stopped mooning over Eclipse. _Are they... more than friends now? Eclipse kind of admitted he liked her, and she could've easily heard._

"Yes, it has," Daisy replied in between licks.

"Do you think there will be another meteor?" Something flashed in Snow's eyes, but Daisy couldn't tell what it was.

She shrugged. "Probably. There's been a lot occuring. Why?"

"I'm just wondering." Snow lay down and began to wash herself, also.

Daisy stopped licking, thinking of her question hard. "Are you...Are you and Eclipse...together now?"

Snow looked up and stared at her; for a heartbeat Daisy thought she said the wrong thing, but the Mightyena just purred and curled up her tail. "How'd you guess?"

"I don't know..." Daisy grinned. "I'm glad for you." She decided to leave out the part about Eclipse thinking she was Star.

"He told me he liked me at Golden Hills." Snow looked up at the ceiling. "I decided not to tell anyone until someone spoke up. I didn't expect you to guess so fast." She chuckled.

Daisy shrugged again. "Lucky guess?"

Snow nodded, then began to wash herself once more. Rain pattered at the window shields. Daisy walked over to it, deciding not to bother Snow. As she peered out the window, there was nothing but wet drops. She recoiled in shock once she realized she couldn't see anything.

"What's wrong, Daisy?"

Daisy spun around, noticing Storm staring at her. "Afraid of the rain now?" he joked.

"I just couldn't see anything, that's all!" she growled. _I actually love rain._

Storm shrugged. "Whatever you say." He padded up to look at the window. Daisy noticed fear bursting out of his pelt. "You're right. I can't see a thing."

"You're the one who's afraid of rain," Daisy muttered, giving him a playful shove.

"Shut up!" Storm hissed, shoving her back.

For the first time in a long time, Daisy felt as if nothing could go wrong.

"Snow! Snow!"

Snow stopped washing herself and glanced at Eclipse, who was walking up to her from the elevator. From his sleek fur, she realized he had been grooming himself, too.

"What took you so long to go back to the Guild?" Snow asked as he seated himself next to her. "What were you talking to Daisy about?"

Something flashed in Eclipse's eyes. "N-nothing," he stammered. "Just human stuff."

Snow narrowed her eyes, then smiled and licked Eclipse's cheek. "You don't have to tell me."

"Thanks." Eclipse sounded relieved. What had he been talking to Daisy about?

"It's kind of odd now that I realize you're a human," Snow began.

Eclipse rested his head on his paws. "Everyone's been giving me strange looks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't have the time."

Snow purred. "You don't have to apoligize a million times. Now, what were you going to say?"

Eclipse stared at her. "I just wanted to talk to you. I didn't get the chance since Daisy beat me to it." There was anger in his gaze. Did they get into a fight?

Snow shrugged the thought off. "We don't have to talk to each other all the time, you know."

Eclipse chuckled. "You were always mooning over me, I thought you _wanted _us to talk all the time."

"That was earlier!" Snow purred again. "Now it's different."

"Well..." Eclipse licked her ear. "I'm glad I spoke up then."

Snow rested her head on her paws, closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of Eclipse's gentle licks on her ears. She slowly started to drift off.

"Wake up!" a voice hissed in her ear.

Snow groaned, rolling over. "What do you want?" she muttered. "I almost fell asleep!"

"GET UP!" a voice growled in her other ear. It was still a whisper, but Snow felt like it was the loudest thing she ever heard.

"What do you want?!" she hissed.

"There's a meteor shower! Hurry!"

Snow froze. She recognized the sound of Eclipse. Immediantly springing to her paws, she dashed to the door.

"Wait." Eclipse blocked her view. "I don't want you going out there. More could hit us." He hesitated. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt." Snow rolled her eyes, then darted to the door again.

This time, Flame was blocking the door. She crossed her arms. "I already have a patrol out there. I don't need more Pokemon." When she noticed Snow's dissapointed look, she added, "I think you'd be glad on getting some sleep. I'm tired myself, but I'm watching from the door. You don't need to do that. I expect you're half asleep." Her voice didn't sound like she was half asleep, but Snow could tell her eyes were glazed with tiredness. What time was it, 5 in the morning? She glanced at the clock. Almost midnight.

"Fine. Can I at least look from the window?" Snow growled.

Flame nodded. "Not too long, though. You're going to fall asleep on your paws. You look worse than me!"

Snow rolled her eyes, then stalked off to the window.

More rain showered down as she took a glance at it. She could see the drops hard against the windowsill, and the Mightyena swore for a second it was hailing, but then Eclipse shouted to her.

"Snow, you're done looking! We have to go to bed now!"

"Wait!" Snow hissed. She squinted her eyes, trying to see against the rain, not knowing she'd regret it later.

Out in the dark gray clouds was a pitch black meteor with fire flaming at its tip. There were more next to it, thousands and thousands of them pouring down from the sky like hail.

It was exactly like the meteor shower she saw all those weeks ago, when she was still with her mate, in her den, with Silver.

Snow felt her eyes begin to tear up, but she couldn't look away. The meteor shower was drawing her to her past again, before she became a member of the Guild and called her team Team Flash.

_No! I can't go back now. Not when I have my whole life ahead of me. I need to stick to the present...not the past!_

Snow tried to back away, but she stayed where she was. Her vision became blurry and she felt herself become dizzy until she couldn't see a thing. She heard voices calling her name, but she realized she couldn't speak. _Am I dying? Are the meteors killing me when they're not even touching me?_ She would've screamed if she could talk or move._ No... it can't be. Meteors are harmless. They couldn't be that bad._ The Mightyena tried opening her eyes. It didn't work. _They can't be common. They're harmless. They're harmless. They're harmless._ No matter how many times Snow thought that in her mind, she wasn't convinced. _Or are they?_

Finally, everything turned pitch black. It stayed like that for a while, maybe ten seconds, until the shape of a Dewott appeared in her vision.

"R-Rain?" she whispered. "Is that you?"


	11. Chapter 10: Return to the Past

Snow felt herself get dizzy. She was sure that the Dewott was her old mate, Rain, but she couldn't tell. Her eyes slowly began to close again and the image of the Pokemon disappeared until there was nothing but darkness.

"Snow! Are you okay?!"

"Snow! Wake up!"

"Is she dead?"

"Nonsense! The meteor shower wasn't even close to the Guild, and I don't think she's sick or anything!"

"She can't be dead!"

"MOTHER!"

Snow blinked open her eyes at the new voice that sounded close to her ear. Silver was crouched next to her, a frightened look in her eye. "Are you okay? What happened?! Are you hurt?"

"Leave her alone," Eclipse hissed, stalking up to them. "She's fine." He lay down next to Snow and licked her ear. "Are you?"

"Just a vision," the Mightyena managed to breathe out before resting her head on her paws.

"I knew she wasn't supposed to look at the meteor shower!" Eclipse hissed to Flame. "Why'd you let her?"

Snow was surprised at his tone to the Guild leader, but Flame didn't seem offended. "She's alive, and that's all that matters. Everyone should just go their rooms and go back to sleep."

Eclipse rested his head on his paws. "I'm too tired to get up. Can me and Snow stay here?"

Flame frowned. "Alright, I guess, but when you're ready, go back to your rooms."

"What was that all about?" Eclipse asked when the last of the Pokemon disappeared.

"It was just a vision," Snow repeated.

"Of what?" When Snow didn't respond, he added, "You don't have to tell me."

"Thanks." Snow closed her eyes again.

"I'm just worried. I don't want you to die after..." There was a pause.

Snow's head shot up. "After who?"

Eclipse sighed. "There was someone I knew before you went to the Guild, and she and the rest of her team were murdered by someone. Only one survived, but he went missing after Team Sun came back from Smoky Woods. They claimed they didn't know about his death. This was a week after Star's body was found, and the other one's body was never found, but we still think she and Thunder were dead."

"Who are these Pokemon?" Snow asked.

"Thunder, Star, and Stream are part of a rescue team called Team Ray. After I turned into a Pokemon, I met them, and started to like...Star. But then a couple weeks later, Star and Stream went missing, and I found Star's body shortly after. A week after THAT, Thunder went missing after trying to locate Team Sun, who came back a day later looking all confused. He probably died or something."

Snow felt jealousy stir instead of her at the mention of Star, but it quickly went away. Star was dead, and she herself liked someone before coming to the Guild. So it wasn't all Eclipse's fault.

Eclipse suddenly looked awkward. "But Star is dead, and I'm with you now, so don't worry."

Snow smiled. "I won't."

"Do you want to go to sleep now?" Eclipse asked. "It's 12:30."

"Of course." Snow's eyes started to droop, and she curled her fluffy tail around Eclipse before sinking into sleep with a sigh.

Waves crashed against the shore as Snow sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws just inches from the ocean. This was the place where she always met Rain, a Dewott who claimed he used to be part of a place called The Game. She wondered what The Game was and why it was so far away from here. The only place she ever heard of was the Guild, run by a Charizard, but she never saw it before.

Immediantly she rose to her paws, seeing a Dewott around the corner. "Hello!" she purred happily as she sprinted over to meet him.

"Hi, Snow!" Rain grinned.

Snow wagged her tail and licked his cheek. "Late, huh?"

Rain twitched his whiskers. "Spring wouldn't let me leave."

"That weirdo..." Snow was jealous of Rain's former mate ever since she met her. Spring the Lopunny was always clinging to him and trying to earn his heart back, but it was kind of obvious Rain never liked her. She was really annoying.

"I know!" Rain growled. "She needs to learn to get another mate."

"How about you sleep in my hollow tonight?" suggested Snow. "I think it has enough room."

Rain smiled. "Perfect. Spring might think I've gone missing and she'll look for me, but then I can just hide."

"Well, it's only afternoon, so let's gather berries~!" Snow announced cheerfully.

Shrugging, Rain replied, "I ate already. Did you?"

Snow grinned. "I'll tell you about my news once we get to the tree."

A flicker of confusion passed Rain's face, but Snow ignored it. She trotted happily towards the tree and lifted her chin.

She tensed her muscles and leaped on one of the branches, picking berries from the leaves.

"Won't it be a lot faster if we do them from bushes?" Rain complained.

"There are a lot on this tree," Snow explained.

"Why do we need a lot?" The same confusion showed on Rain's face.

Snow purred. "You'll see." She gathered more berries from the tree until her face was stuffed with them. "Head to the hollow," she ordered, although her voice was muffled by the food.

Tilting his head, Rain nodded, then tensed his muscles and leaped into the hole carved in the tree. There was a rustling in the bushes that marked the entrance, and then there was a scream.

Rolling her eyes, Snow jumped to the hollow and walked in. "Relax," she told him. "It's ours."

"Ours?" Rain blinked.

"Yes." Snow nodded, lying down next to the little Poochyena. She wrapped her tail around it. "We're her parents."

Rain gasped. "Why didn't you tell me you were expecting children?! Dang, Spring's gonna kill me..."

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Snow purred again.

"Well, I was." Rain looked at the Poochyena, then smiled. "Did you name it anything yet?"

Snow licked the Poochyena behind its ears. "Silver."

Rain frowned. "It's a boy."

"That's her tail."

"Oh." Rain twitched his whiskers. "Oops. She's cute."

"I know." Snow purred so hard she expected Pokemon miles away to hear it.

Rain leaned down and pet Silver. "When did she come out?"

"Just this morning."

Rain grinned. "I'm happy for you."

Snow rested her head on her paws. "I'm exhausted. Can we go to sleep now?"

"Okay." Rain yawned, showing how tired he was, too, but didn't lay down. "I'm going to watch the clouds. It might rain soon."

Frowning, Snow got up and looked at the clouds. They were dark and heavy with rain, it seemed. Then she lashed her tail. "Don't stay up all night."

"It's only afternoon."

She shrugged, then lay back down with Silver, her newborn.

Snow watched as Rain sat down and rested his hands on his knees. "The clouds look cool tonight."

Sighing, Snow stood up and walked in front of the hollow. She poked her head in between the bramble bush. "They are." There were only a few patches of blue. It was like a sea with dark clouds floating through it.

"You don't have to fall asleep," Rain said.

Snow purred. "You keep on waking me up."

Rain grinned. "Shut up."

Snow stretched and yawned, then sat back down again, staring at the clouds. "Do you know when it's going to rain?"

"I can't tell the weather," Rain told her. "I just feel like it's going to."

Snow sighed. "Me, too."

Rain didn't speak again. Snow stared back at Silver, who was sleeping peacefully in the nest of feathers. "Sleep well, little one," she whispered.

And then the first drop of rain landed on her nose. She flinched and sneezed, shaking her head to get the taste off. Rain started to laugh. "You should've seen the look on your face!"

Snow rolled her eyes, watching as more rain fell. "I'll get you for that," she growled. Then she leaped out of the hollow and raced to the ocean shore, Rain following quickly behind.

Snow sat with a thump in front of the water. She admired the water washing against the rocks and the current flowing gently towards the sea. "Be careful not to fall in," she told Rain. "The current could pull you forward."

"Whatever." Rain crossed his arms and sat right in front of the water, letting his feet sink in the coldness. _How does he like that?_ Snow wondered. _It's really cold...colder than the rain. Colder now since it is raining._

"You coming?" Rain asked.

Snow shook her head. "It's too cold, and sort of dangerous."

Rain chuckled. "Dangerous? Really? It's just water. It's not even deep."

_Of course it isn't deep._ Snow walked towards him, then slowly reached for the water with her paw. Once she touched it, she immediantly sprang back and shook her paw. "I don't know how you can handle it!" Snow shook her fur, letting water spray everywhere.

Some landed on Rain. He flinched and landed head first in the sand. Snow purred with laughter. "Got you!"

"Oh, it's on!" Rain hissed, getting up and shaking the sand out of his fur. He then walked straight in the water and let his head disappear underwater.

There was a moment of silence. "Rain?" Snow asked, heading towards the water, slightly horrified. "Are you okay?"

As soon as she was a few inches from the ocean, an arm grabbed her and sent her into the waves. The Mightyena screamed, splashing around furiously.

"Ha, ha~!" Rain got back up again and pointed to Snow. "Scared, weren't ya?"

Snow splashed towards him angrily, then sent a huge wave of water straight towards him. Rain ducked, but the water grabbed him and sent him underwater. Snow dived towards him, determined for another wave, until she felt something on her back.

She turned around. Oh, great. It was Spring.

"What do you two think you're doing?" the Lopunny hissed. "Rain is supposed to be with ME, not you!"

Snow swam towards the shore, then got out and shook herself. "No, he's not." She glared at Spring. "He likes me now."

"He always liked me!" Spring followed her to the sand and stared at her, jealousy and hatred in her eyes. "Right, Rain?"

The Dewott walked out of the water and sighed. "Spring, why don't you just accept that I don't like you anymore? Get a new mate. Let it go."

"I'm not going to let it go!" Spring took a step forward. "You'll be my mate, always!"

"Never!" Rain gritted his teeth.

"Then I'll kill her-," she pointed to Snow, "-and make you suffer."

"You're going to have to get through me first." Rain blocked Snow from the Lopbunny.

Spring chuckled. "Why kill you," she began, "when I can make you _suffer _instead? I'll destroy everything you ever care about."

"You'll never kill her!" Rain lunged towards her.

Spring easily sidestepped, then managed an Attract.

_Oh, no._ "Get out of the way!" Snow cried to Rain, who was already diving in the water and dodging.

Spring let out a hiss of frustration. "You won't get away that easily!" While Rain was in the water, she grinned stupidly at Snow, then lunged.

Snow darted to the side, then fired up a Shadow Ball, which hit the Lopunny in the face.

Spring yelped in pain and fell in the sand. "Idiot!" she cried, getting up and using Attract.

_Not again!_ Snow dived towards the water, not caring if it got her wet, and put her head underwater. Luckily, she didn't feel a strange attraction towards Spring, so the attack didn't hit her.

"I'll destroy you!" Spring yelled through gritted teeth as Snow's head popped up. "I'll destroy everything Rain cares about unless he promises to stay my mate!"

_Where is he, anyway?_ Snow looked around for the Dewott, and she sighed in relief when his head was shown a little farther away. "Get over here!"

Rain swam towards Snow, not keeping his eyes off of Spring, until he was at the shore. For a moment the two were staring at each other with hatred, when Razor Shell hit her right in the face.

"Go, Rain!" Snow cheered, happy that his former mate was getting hurt.

"I don't want to fight you!" Spring hissed, getting up and rubbing her head. "Snow's the one I want!"

"Well, if that's what you want..." Snow got up and hit her with Hyper Beam when she was still glaring at Rain.

Spring took the hit, gasping in pain as she was sent flying on hard earth, then Snow darted towards her and scratched her eyes.

"I'm blind!" the Lopunny cried out, whimpering. "How could you?!" She rolled over, moaning and whimpering a couple times, before lying still.

"You deserve it," Snow whispered through gritted teeth.

"Is she dead?" Rain trotted up to them, tilting his head in confusion.

Snow shrugged. "She's not moving. I really didn't mean to kill her, but-"

"It's okay." Rain smiled. "I know you're not like that. But it's okay if she is dead, because then she won't bother us anymore. She is really annoying... I never expected her to be like this, though."

Snow stared at him in surprise.

Rain sighed. "At least she doesn't know about Silver. That Poochyena would be easy prey..."

Snow shuddered. "Yeah. If she ever figured out about her..."

Rain twitched. "Come on, let's check if she's okay."

Snow followed her mate as they headed back to the beech tree, occasionally casting scared glances to Spring, hoping she didn't suddenly wake up and attack. "You know, we should bury her," she suggested.

"Really?" Rain sighed. "What if she was alive, though? She may be evil, but we need to treat every Pokemon with respect."

Snow suddenly wished she never told him that. "Okay, I guess... But what if she wakes up?"

Rain clasped his hands together. "We fight. Easy."

"What if she finds out about Silver?"

Rain chuckled, twitching his whiskers. "You ask way too many questions. If she does, we defend her. Or at least, you will, and I'll take on Spring."

Snow frowned. "She wants me, not you. It should be the other way around."

Rain just shook his head. "I can't let you die. She will kill."

"But I'm tough!" Snow protested.

"Not as tough as her," Rain reminded her. "She's fully trained."

"You don't know that!" Snow argued.

Rain leaped to the hole in the tree. "I know a lot of things," he answered. "Let's just drop the subject. She hasn't even awoke yet."

"She could be unconscious," Snow told him. "Or she's going to use a sneak attack and surprise us."

Rain grinned. "She would've done it already by now. And she's blind, so she couldn't locate us."

"Good point." Snow walked in circles on her nest before laying down and curling her tail around Silver. "I'm still worried, though."

"Well, don't be." Rain sat down in front of the bush. "Don't worry. I'll keep watch."

Too tired to respond, Snow closed her eyes and rested her head on her paws. The battle had worn her out, especially when she was already tired.

Right when Snow was about to drift off, there was a scream. She immediantly shot to her paws and hissed. "What was that?!" She looked towards the hole in the tree.

Rain was gone.

"Rain!" Snow screeched, licking Silver behind the ears and covering her with feathers. She darted to the bush and jumped out of the tree, racing towards his scent. The Lopunny was also gone from her spot.

_Oh, no._

Snow opened her jaws and tasted the air.

The scent of Rain was in the air, but Spring was also there. Screams and cries filled the air. The fur prickled along Snow's spine. She darted towards the scent until it grew strong and fresh next to a bunch of ferns not far from the shore.

She froze with shock. There was Spring, lying in a pool of blood, her eyes scratched up even more. Rain was breathing heavily next to her, until he plopped down with a sigh.

"Rain!" Snow screeched, diving to him.

Rain slowly opened his eyes, smiling at Snow.

"Don't die..." Snow whispered, pushing his muzzle into his fur.

Rain sat up and looked at his arm wound. Blood poured out of it.

"We have to get you to a hospital." Snow picked him up by the scruff and ran towards a random direction.

"I know where the nearest hospital is," Rain said hoarsely.

"Where?" Snow asked, still running, her voice muffled from already carrying her mate.

Rain smiled. "In Earth Town. Keep going straight until you reach the woods, then turn right."

"Got it." Snow sniffed the air for a sign of forest, then lifted it even more to stop Rain from dragging on the ground.

A Crobat flapped its wings nearby, sailing over her head, which meant the woods were near.

Finally Snow skidded to a stop next to a bunch of trees. She panted heavily, dropping Rain for a moment. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

Rain sat up. "It stings like fury, but at least I can sit." He yawned. "We don't have to rest, you know. That was actually pretty fun."

"Meh..." Snow plopped down and rested her head on her paws. "Give me a second, okay?"

"If you want." Rain shrugged, watching an almost-broken sign nearby saying "Earth Town". Beyond it were a bunch of buildings. Snow swore the hopsital was one of them. _Then it can't be that far! _"They should really fix that." Rain pointed to the sign, chuckling.

"Yeah." Snow waited for her energy to come back before rising to her paws. "That'd be a good idea."

Rain looked at his arm. He widened his eyes. "Do you want to go now?"

Snow tried not to look at his arm as she picked up his scruff and nodded. Then she raced to Earth Town like a speeding bullet.

She felt like she was running like the wind, but slowed down a couple times to look at all the signs. There was a path that led to a very large building, probably the Guild, but the sign was too far away to see. There was a bunch of resteraunts, too, and a store for herbs. _The hospital's better... it may cost Poke, but I have a lot already._ Snow sighed, remembering the time her and Spring used to be great friends, and how she gave her 1,000 Poke once. Spring never asked for it back, because she probably forgot.

"There it is!" Rain shouted, pointing to a large building with a bunch of windows.

Snow spun around, noticing a sign that said 'Earth Town Hospital'. How could she have missed it? She slowly trotted towards it, then broke into a run and opened the door.

"Hello!" a Chansey announced cheerfully. "How may I help you today?"

Snow dropped Rain onto a black leather couch. "He got attacked."

Chansey frowned. "I'm sorry! We don't have any visitors today, and the doctors are doing everything they can for the wounded. I can help you!"

"Thanks!" Snow breathed, picking up Rain again and setting him on Chansey's desk.

"Can he stand?" Chansey asked.

Snow shook her head. "He can sit, though."

Chansey smiled cheerfully as Rain sat up, rubbing his head. "I'll get him a bunch of bandages for his wound, and water will help him, too!"

Snow chuckled. Nothing could hurt this Pokemon's feelings. "Thanks. Is he badly hurt?"

Chansey shook her head. "He just has an infected wound, but that won't be a problem to fix. Water will help it a lot."

"Thank you!" Snow said again. "We live next to the ocean, so it will be pretty easy."

"Ah!" Chansey replied. "You live next to Star Ocean?"

Snow nodded. The two broke into a conversation for a while, but Rain got bored and started shouting. "Hey! Can we leave or what?"

"Alright." Snow sighed. "Can you stand now?"

Rain frowned. "I think you need to pick me up again."

Chansey grinned. "Don't worry, he'll be up and walking again in a day or two! He may hurt from lack of use in his legs, but it's better for him to just rest."

Snow picked him up by his scruff, nodded to Chansey, and headed out the door.

The Mightyena headed towards Star Ocean again, passing the broken sign that said 'Earth Town' and taking a sharp turn towards the ocean. She finally skidded to a stop next to the shore. "Rest your arm in it," she ordered, dropping Rain.

Rain crawled to the water and jumped into it. A second later his head shot up and he gave the thumbs up sign with his good arm.

"It will hurt once you put it in the water, but it'll stop it from getting a worse infection!" Snow called.

Rain lifted his good arm and stared at it. Finally, Snow decided to take a glance at it, too. Her eyes widened in surprise. It looked like a knife had stabbed through his arm. The bandages covered most of the wound, but some blood still trickled down the injury.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Never better." Rain smiled, but Snow knew he was lying. "It hurts a little, especially since I put water in it, but at least it'll help."

Snow frowned. "Hopefully."

"What? Earth Town Hospital is the best!"

"How do you know all this stuff about Earth Town, anyway?" Snow asked.

Rain grinned again. "I go there almost every day. It's a great place, better than Light Town."

"What?"

"Nevermind." Rain reached out his good arm. "I can't get out of the water. Can you help?"

Gently Snow grabbed his paw with her jaws, then lifted him and plopped him on the sand. "You're so heavy!"

Rain sat up and yawned. "I eat a lot. Want to bury Spring now? I'm pretty sure she's dead."

"Okay!" Snow didn't want to bury the Lopunny, she wanted her to rot. But that was a rude thing, even if Spring was selfish.

The Mightyena walked over to the body of her former friend and dug a hole next to it, making sure it wasn't too deep. She then picked up Spring, hissing in disgust at all the flies on her, and put her in the hole before digging it up again. She darted back to Rain, wrinkling her nose.

"That was gross," she said as she skidded to a stop next to her mate.

Rain shrugged. "I expected it."

"It's getting late," Snow commented, looking at the sky. It was a dark blue and the first stars were shown. The rain had stopped. "Should we sleep?"

Rain nodded. "It's probably still early, but good idea. I need rest myself."

Snow frowned. "Do I need to pick you up again?"

"Sure."

Sighing, Snow grabbed him by the scruff and leaped up the tree. She dropped him next to the nest and curled up beside Silver, who was still sleeping. Wow.

Rain curled up beside Snow, and she could see the faint rise and fall of his fur. She sighed and closed her eyes, wrapping her tail around Silver.

"Goodnight," she whispered to the two of them before she began to drift off.

"Snow!" a voice whispered in her ear.

Snow stiffened.

"Wake up!"

She woke up.

"It's me, Rain. I'm going out to collect berries. Want to come with?"

Snow blinked open her eyes to see a Dewott right in front of her. "I need to protect Silver."

"You have to see this. Come on!" Rain tugged her paw.

Sighing, Snow got up and walked outside. "What is it?"

Rain rubbed her eyes, then pointed to the sky. "Look!"

Snow looked up in surprise. There were a million little dots in the sky, all falling down at the same time. _Are those shooting stars? _She shook her head. _They're too slow. They must be..._ Snow gasped. "A meteor!" she shouted.

Rain grinned. "A meteor _shower_," he corrected. "I just saw this and wanted to show you."

Snow purred. "It's beautiful."

Rain nodded. "You can go back and protect Silver now. I have to collect berries."

"Okay." Snow didn't want to leave. She wanted to watch the meteor shower with Rain as they collected food. But she had to defend Silver this time.

Sighing, she watched Rain disappear in the bushes before she turned away and leaped up the tree. "Hello, little one," she whispered, pushing her muzzle into the Poochyena's fur. Silver whimpered in response. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Snow woke up immediantly. She had accidentally drifted off while Rain was out collecting berries, but he hadn't returned yet. A pang of loneliness stabbed her like a thorn. Where was he?

She licked Silver behind the ears. "I'll be right back, little one. I have to find him."

Silver whimpered.

Snow tried hard to ignore it as she padded out of the hole. She tensed her muscles and leaped out of the bush down the tree, then lifted her muzzle to taste the air. There was no scent of Rain.

Worry pricked her fur as she walked on, occasionally tasting the air for scents of the Dewott, but there were none.

After a while she reached Earth Town, and tasted the air again. Nothing.

Snow walked away, tail down, as she padded back to her hole. She had checked everywhere, but he was gone. Maybe he got hit by a meteor. Or got attacked and had his arm wound reopen. Or he left her.

She blocked out the thought as she finally reached her beech tree. Leaping into the hole, she lay down and wrapped her tail around Silver.

She would wait for Rain forever.

Then she was sucked into darkness.


	12. Chapter 11: Vaporeon's Name is Revealed

Daisy's eyes fluttered open. The first thought in her mind was how Team Waterfall had yet to come back to the Guild. She was worried for them. Smoky Woods was the worst place next to Earth Town, and it might've even been the worst place in the world. She shuddered just at the thought, then got up and stretched. The Umbreon looked at Storm's bed, wondering if he already got up, and sure enough, he was gone.

She walked back over to her bed and looked at a blue hail stone sitting on the blanket. Suddenly she remembered the day she found the stone on her back. _I can't believe I forgot... I wonder what this might mean._

Then she walked over to the elevator and pressed Floor One. It shot down really fast and took her to pitch black room with a white desk in one corner and a white bed in the other. The room caught her as familiar. _I think I've been in this room before._

She peered around, glancing at everything, until the words written in blood caught her eye.

Zeke.

"Floor 6! I'm on Floor 6!" she whispered. "But how did I get here...?"

Someone glomped her from behind. She groaned, getting up and looking behind her. "Who's there?"

"Storm!" the Jolteon hissed. "I'm trying to find the Pokemon that's in here. I was going to Floor One, but it took me to this room instead."

Daisy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Who would go here?" she asked.

"Moon?" Storm questioned.

Daisy shrugged. "I doubt she'd go here on purpose. What would Eclipse do if he found out she came here again?"

Storm frowned. "You're right. Maybe Sky or Blue or something."

Daisy felt too frightened to check under the bed. What if there was a monster? What if the Cyndaquil came back again?

"Don't worry," Storm said. "I'll help."

Sighing, Daisy took a glance under the desk. There was some sort of outline there, but it wasn't moving. She looked away and stared at the windowsill, but immediately wished she hadn't.

"Who...who are you?!" she screeched. Standing there, looking straight at them, was another Pokemon. Daisy did not look it right in the face because she didn't want to see a monster. It looked all beaten up. She could hardly even tell what it was.

The mysterious Pokemon coughed. "Please!" he croaked. "You have to help me!"

"Who are you?" she hissed, still not meeting his gaze.

"It's-It's Darkrai! He's gaining servants!"

Daisy could sense confusion all over Storm. "Whaaaaaa?" he asked.

The Pokemon panted heavily and sat down. "H-he's trying to destroy the Pokemon world and the Human world, and he's already gotten Eclipse, Thunder, and Zeke! It won't be long before they're gaining more!"

"How do you know this?" Daisy demanded.

"My mother..." He coughed again. "...appeared to me in a dream... She told me about Darkrai and his plans and that I had to warn the Guild... Along the way, Thunder came and gave me a bunch of scratches... I don't know how I ended up here, but I did! You have to warn the Guild before more Pokemon become evil and others die! That's how I..." he frowned. "Almost died... But they brought me back to life. I had a destiny to fulfill." He paused, and then spoke again. "And if you don't stop him he's gonna get River!"

Daisy was aware of Storm's confused expression, but she was probably bursting out of uneasiness and confusion, especially at the mention of River. "Now tell me your name," she growled.

The Pokemon crouched down, gasping. "I-I can't... I promised...I wouldn't-"

"If you tell us your name, it'll be easier for all of us," Daisy snarled.

"It's too late." He fell on the floor and closed his eyes. "I'll be dead by then."

"No, you won't," Daisy promised. "Not if we take you to a hospital."

The Pokemon curled up. "I'll be dead by then," he repeated. A spasm of pain rippled through his body and he spoke no more.

Daisy didn't dare look at his body. She backed up and began pounding on the elevator door. "SOMEBODY HELP US!" she screeched. It was probably a dumb thing to do, but it might help.

Storm started yelling, too. While they were screaming, Daisy felt like someone was watching her, and the fur prickled along her spine. Very slowly, she turned around. The body was still there, but it was wrapped in a blanket, so she couldn't see a thing. _Where did that blanket come from? _She frowned.

Storm immediately stopped shouting and glanced at her. He, too, looked around the room.

"Do you know who that was?" Daisy asked.

Storm shuddered. "No, but he looked familiar."

"Well, what kind of Pokemon was he? I didn't look him in the eye because he was beaten up and all gory..."

"He was a-" Before Storm could tell her, a huge Cyndaquil appeared in front of them, blocking them from the Pokémon's view.

_Oh, great._

"You again," it hissed, spit coming out of his mouth.

Storm gasped and began to back away.

"You can see it, too?" There was surprise in Daisy's eyes.

"Well...yeah..."

She turned to the Cyndaquil again, hissing. "Zeke?" she asked.

The Cyndaquil glared at her. "So you finally figured out my name."

"It's kind of obvious." Daisy rolled her eyes, pointing to the words written in blood on the wall.

Storm stared at them filled with shock. "Zeke? Who's-"

"No need to know who I am," Zeke hissed. "You know my name, and that's already too much. Now don't listen to whatever that idiot tells you, because he's wrong."

"Wrong?" Daisy frowned.

Zeke nodded. "Darkrai is planning to save the worlds, not destroy them. That idiot is the enemy, not me."

Daisy thought about it for a moment. The Cyndaquil always came at her with a knife, but it never stabbed her, and it always denied being evil. Yet the mysterious Pokemon sounded pleading, and he had a bunch of scratches, too. Zeke might not be the enemy...but maybe Thunder or something. What if he was lying about that, though? Then who gave him the scratches?

"I don't know who to believe," she finally said.

Storm glared at her. "I can't believe you believe that rotting stench!"

Daisy returned the glare. "I never said I did!"

Zeke smiled. "Believe me. He is the enemy. Eclipse may be rude, and Thunder, but they are not the enemy."

Daisy found that hard to believe, but she had no proof Eclipse was evil, either.

Storm looked around. "Well, I don't believe you," he huffed, and then stalked away.

Daisy looked at Zeke. "Eh...then why do you always threaten to stab me?"

Zeke chuckled. "That's an act." Daisy couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

"An...act?" Daisy questioned, confused. "How?"

Zeke shrugged, clearly desperate on changing the subject. "So... There are evil Pokemon around the world, but they're not Darkrai. Yes, they're planning on hypnotizing River to join the evils' side, but I don't know what's so special about that Buizel." He hissed. "Too kind."

Daisy looked at him suspiciously.

"Uh...not that I mind," Zeke said quickly. "It's just he's a little too kind. He needs to show a little more respect, like you. Storm doesn't even like me, which proves he doesn't have any respect."

Daisy looked at Storm, who was pacing impatiently in front of the elevator, not paying any attention to their conversation.

"You don't know River doesn't have any respect," she pointed out.

Zeke let out a huff. "Oh, I know River. And I better stop the evil Pokemon before they hypnotize him."

"_You're _the one who's going to hypnotize him!" Storm finally spoke up.

Zeke shot him a glare. "Yeah, right. Your friend here has no respect."

Daisy frowned. "He has respect!"

"It's obvious I'm not evil," Zeke pointed out. "Storm just doesn't like me."

"Who else are they planning to hypnotize?" Daisy asked.

Zeke looked around. "Let's see...Maybe-"

"How do you know all this?" Storm spat. "That just proves you're one of them!"

Zeke shot him another glare. "I've been spying on them, that's all!"

"Don't believe him, Daisy!" Storm growled. "He's nothing but a wuss, feeding us information!"

"If he is feeding us information, that might mean he's trying to help," Daisy replied.

Storm widened his eyes. "I just have a bad feeling about him...He may be on the bad side."

"Now, go home," Zeke growled. "Your friend is coming."

Daisy turned around to notice Sky enter the room. At that same moment, Zeke disappeared.

"Sky!" Storm attacked her with a glomp. "Now we can go home!"

Sky chuckled. "You glomp everyone nowadays, Storm," she said. "It's hard to believe you were ever grumpy."

Storm huffed. "I'm still grumpy!"

Daisy expected he liked being grumpy. Weird.

"Alright, let's go home~!" Sky replied cheerfully. "This place is super creepy!"

"Like we don't know," Storm snapped, following her into the elevator.

Luckily, it didn't go as fast this time. They reached Floor One within five seconds.

"Where were you?" Flame's hands were on her hips as Sky, Storm, and Daisy walked out. "I had to send Sky to retrieve you!"

"There's some Pokemon up there!" Storm began to run in all directions, screeching.

Flame frowned. "You're confusing me."

Daisy started to explain. "I was in my room, and I was about to go to Floor One when all of a sudden it took me to Floor 6. Storm was there, and he told me some other Pokemon was there because he was trying to go to Floor One himself. We met a...stranger." She explained the rest of the story.

Something flashed in Flame's eyes as she talked about Zeke. "What was the stranger?"

Daisy looked a Storm for support.

"He was a-"

Eclipse stood up. "Zeke?" he growled, spitting out the name. Daisy guessed they weren't good friends before.

Flame frowned. "Tell me who the stranger was, please."

"He was a-"

Eclipse rushed to the elevator. "Zeke's alive?!"

"No, he's not alive!" Daisy snapped. "He's a ghost."

Eclipse looked longily at the Floor 6 button. "Oh." _Please don't press it._

Luckily, he turned away and went back to Snow.

Flame glared at Eclipse. "Now, who was the mysterious Pokemon?" she repeated.

"A-"

There was a screech from behind.

Flame bristled. "FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS, SHUT UP!"

"FlameFlameFlame!" a voice cried. "I can't find them anywhere! We looked all over! And we lost him..."

The fur prickled along Flame's spine. Daisy looked at the strange team - a Dragonite and a Persian. The Dragonite was crying, while the Persian was trying to calm him down.

Flame growled. "That's why I told you not to go out at night in Smoky Woods, Rocket!"

"Me?" the Dragonite asked in disbelief. He stopped crying and glared at his friend. "It was all your idea!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"SHUT UP!" Flame screeched. "It was both of your ideas. Now go to bed. You need rest."

Rocket began to sob. "We lost Dew because of you, Zap!"

Zap rolled his eyes. "It wasn't my fault, it was yours!"

"How dare you blame me?!"

The two began to argue again, with Flame trying to break them apart, but it didn't work. Finally she let out a Flamethrower that landed on the ceiling. "WILL YOU SHUT UP!" she screeched.

Rocket and Zap stopped and stared at her.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM AND ARGUE THERE! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ALL OF US!" Exploud yelled.

Everyone watched as Rocket and Zap headed to the elevator, occasionally shooting glares at each other.

Flame started breathing heavily, trying to control her temper. "Team Darkness and Team Darkened Thunder!" she called.

The two teams walked over to her.

"You will go on a search party to find Team Waterfall." _So that's what they were looking for._

Eclipse nodded. "Do we leave now?"

"After lunch," Flame ordered, still trying to control her temper.

Eclipse dipped his head. Daisy watched as he walked towards Snow, who had a flustered look on her face. _What's wrong with her?_

"When's lunch?" she asked Storm.

Storm looked at the clock. "In an hour."

Daisy perked her ears. Rain pattered at the window, and it was coming down fast. Would there be another patrol?

Thunder split the sky and lightning crackled. Daisy flinched. It seemed louder today.

Storm stretched. "It's been raining for the whole night!" he growled.

"It's been raining for two days straight," Daisy replied.

"I know!" Storm hissed. "We're being kept from going on any missions with all this rain. We probably won't find Team Waterfall, especially at a place like Smoky Woods."

Daisy shuddered just at the thought of the creepy place. "I hope we can."

Storm didn't seem too worried for some reason.

Daisy stretched, walking over to the window. At that same moment, a screech cut her off and thunder and lightning bolted overhead.

"ATTENTION GUILD MEMBERS!" Flame yelled. "EVERYONE IS TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATLY!"

At that same moment, smoke entered Daisy's nostrils. Her heart skipped a beat as she burst open the door and came flying outside. Rain pattered her fur and she shook it off as she turned back to the Guild.

What she saw wasn't pretty. Smoke was coming through the left side of the Guild and fire was all over the place. "STORM!" she called. "Storm, where are you?!"

Thunder split a tree in half overhead, and it fell at the entrance to Smoky Woods.

_What's happening?!_

A fire alarm sounded from somewhere inside, and millions of Pokemon kept on running out. Daisy darted to Storm's side and gaped at what was left of part of the Guild. Who had done this?

River woke up to the sound of thunder and lightning. He rolled over and got up, sighing as rain landed on his fur, making it stick up all over the place. The sounds were coming from everywhere, he felt like it wouldn't stop.

"River?" a voice called.

"Here," he answered.

The voice, Shade, hissed, "Tackle?"

"Over here!" someone yelled.

"Blast?"

No answer.

"Oh, great, don't tell me we lost him, too!"

"I can't see a thing!" Tackle whimpered.

River walked next to the lake and brushed himself off. "Shut up, Tackle. Just follow the lake."

"We're not leaving without Blast!" growled Shade.

"I know." River sighed. "He probably ran away or something."

"That Squirtle is always leaving us behind!"

River shrugged. "We have to deal with it."

Tackle squeaked. "I see something!"

Immediately River spun around. "What is it?!"

"Never mind, it was Shade's tail."

Sighing, River looked around for any signs of Blast.

"Watch out!" Tackle yelled.

River spun around, fur bristling, and snarled. "Who's there?!"

Tackle shuffled his paws. "Oops, just a beetle."

Hissing in annoyance, River went back to searching._ I can't see a thing!_ he thought, squinting with his eyes and trying to see over all the rain. Suddenly smoke filled his nostrils. _What the?_

"Watch out!" Tackle screeched.

River didn't fall for it this time. He tried to ignore the smoke and looked under the reeds. The smoke was much stronger now, and he couldn't ignore it.

"Fire!" yelled Tackle, and his voice was full of fear.

Slowly River turned around to be face to face with a Squirtle. "Blast! You scared the crap out of me! Where were you?!" he demanded.

Blast looked at his paws. "S-sorry," he stammered. "I saw..."

"FIRE!" Tackle's voice was even louder than an Echoed Voice now, and it was really scared.

"I found Blast!" River yelled to Shade.

There was no answer.

River's heart felt like it would explode out of his chest. "Shade?!"

"I think Shade's..." Blast's voice trailed off.

"TACKLE! Where's Shade?" River tried to walk over to where the Bulbasaur was.

Immediately he wrinkled his nose. "It smells like a fire over here!"

There was a screech and a loud clap of thunder and suddenly everything went black.

"Storm! What's happening?" Daisy tried to yell over the rain drops and thunder.

The Jolteon backed away. "I-I don't know!" He seemed stunned. "Someone must've set a fire off on one of the floors!"

"Who would do that?" Daisy's voice was full of fear, but she didn't care. "Who would be dumb enough to risk their own life?"

Storm shrugged. Every hair from his pelt was bristling. "Someone could die!"

_Arceus... _Daisy thought, heart pounding. _Please don't let anyone die..._

"IS EVERYONE HERE?" someone screeched. "Eclipse?"

"Here," a voice said.

"Skye?"

"Here."

"Moon?"

"Over here!"

"Daisy? Storm?"

Daisy lifted her head and yelled, "We're here!"

Flame paused. "I want these two teams to leave while I finish the attendance. You will have to find Team Waterfall. In the meantime, we will need workers to try and fix the Guild," she shouted.

Daisy panted and walked over to Skye. "Do you know someone who was over there when the bomb set off?" she asked.

Skye let out a sigh. "I think Exploud was yelling at some Pokemon who didn't get out of bed in time..."

"Exploud?" Daisy's heart felt like it was ready to explode.

Skye nodded. "I-I'm not sure if he'll make it..."

Eclipse stalked over to them. "Come on," he growled, flicking his tail. "We need to get a move on. And Moon..." He sighed. "I told you you weren't aloud to come for the next five missions, but now, I think it's needed..."

"Yeah!" Moon did a little bounce. Daisy giggled.

Storm padded over to them, fur plastered to his fur. "Great..." he said aloud. "First rain, and now Smoky Woods. What could be worse?"

"Um..." Skye lifted her head. "There's a tree blocking the entrance to Smoky Woods..."

Storm bristled. "Great, now how are we gonna get there?"

"Easy. Jump over it," Daisy pointed out.

Storm rolled his eyes. "What if it's huge?"

"What if the sun never comes up tomorrow?" Eclipse retorted, glaring at Storm. "We have to leave before Flame yells at us!"

"O-Okay..." Storm backed away, then turned around and ran toward Smoky Woods.

It wasn't long before all five Pokemon reached the entrance. There was a small log blocking the way.

"Great. Now what?" Storm hissed.

"Dear Arceus, SHUT UP!" Eclipse snarled, making everyone flinch. "All you have to do is JUMP OVER IT!"

Storm didn't answer as he leaped on top of it and jumped down the other side.

When it was Daisy's turn, she tensed her muscles and was ready for the leap. Finally, she jumped down the other side and waited for Moon. "Can you make it?" she called.

There was a silence, and then, "Duh!" The Vulpix scurried down the log and skidded to a halt next to Daisy. "Let's go."

"Let's run," Storm growled. "It'll heat us up, and we do want to hurry, don't we?" He shot a glance at Eclipse.

"It's just because you want to finish this mission, don't you?" Eclipse hissed back. "What is wrong with rain that you want to leave so bad?"

"It's cold and wet," Storm pointed out.

"So is your face!" Eclipse stalked off.

"What put him in a bad mood?" Daisy asked.

Storm glared at her. "What put YOU in a bad mood?" Without another word, he stalked off behind Eclipse.

Daisy glanced at Moon. "What...?"

"Ignore him," Skye announced. "I don't know what is his or Eclipse's problem. It's probably the rain, but then again, what about Eclipse?"

"Strange..." Daisy trailed off.

There was a screech from ahead of them. "Are you guys coming or WHAT?"

"Sorry!" Skye shouted back, shooting an odd look at Daisy before following Eclipse.

Daisy looked over her shoulder to check if Moon was following, and to her surprise, she was catching up pretty quickly. That Vulpix was fast.

It wasn't long before they reached a large clearing with a river and a lake. Before they could jump over the stepping stones, a Charizard stepped in front of them. "Well, well, well," he roared, spitting out fire. "What do we have here?"

Eclipse immediately hit him with Flamethrower. Startled, the Charizard took this by surprise, and fell backwards into the river. "Hurry!" he hissed to Daisy and the others.

Each of them raced upstream. Daisy jumped over the stepping stones one by one, occasionally looking behind to see if Moon was following.

"DAISY!" Eclipse yelled through gritted teeth. "STOP looking behind you! Moon's doing okay!"

_I thought Moon was too weak for you!_ Daisy wanted to yell at him, but the words stuck to her tongue.

Finally, she lay panting in the reeds beside the river and looked behind her.

Moon was dangling on the last stone, her hind legs stuck in the water. "Help me!" she cried.

Daisy lunged at her, but the Charizard was faster. It sent the little Vulpix flying in mid air with a powerful Flamethrower. "Moon!" she screeched.

"We have to leave without her!" Storm yelled, but there was a worried look in his eye. "We have to do this fast!"

"I'm not leaving without her!" Daisy snarled.

Eclipse sighed. "He's right..." He looked away. "Star..."

"Star?" Storm looked around.

Daisy sighed. "It's a long story."

"Well, if it's long, then don't tell me!" Storm growled. He flicked his ear. "Come on!"

Daisy looked behind her, wishing Moon was there, following. But they had to leave her behind...for now.

"Quit looking behind you!" Eclipse ordered. "I see something!" He flicked his tail. "Faster!"

"Any faster and I'll lose my legs!" Daisy retorted, but she sprinted quicker anyway. Her heart was beating loud as the rain pattered her fur. It was like she was running with the wind. Eventually she skidded to a stop next to the lake and wrinkled her nose. _What is that smell...?_

"FIRE!" Storm was screeching. "The forest is on fire!"

"WHAT?" Eclipse snarled. "That's imposibble! How many fires are there?!"

Daisy couldn't hear them over the rain, thunder, and pounding of her heart. She wrinkled her nose again, glancing around wildly. "Where is it?!" she cried to Storm. "Where?!"

"Over there!" Storm pointed with his paw, but Daisy couldn't see a thing. Suddenly heat filled her nostrils and without thinking, she leaped into the lake.

Water lapped her belly fur as she pushed her face underwater, grateful for the cold. Then she remembered it was raining.

"Get out of there!" Eclipse shouted angrily. "We have to find them!"

Daisy splashed out of the lake and lay, panting, in the reeds.

"Watch out!" Storm yelped.

"What?" Daisy called.

There was no answer.

Daisy's heart was beating quicker. "Storm?!"

Skye collapsed at her feet. "I can't find ANYONE. We lost Moon and Eclipse... Team Waterfall seems to not be here, either."

"But where's Storm?" Daisy whispered.

Skye shook her head.

"STORM!" Daisy screeched into the air. Her eyes watered as they were filled with rain, but she didn't even notice. Then she felt her eyes water from something else.

Skye glanced at her paws.

"Watch out!" a little voice squeaked. There was a screech and another loud clap of thunder and lightning.

"Tackle!" someone else yelled, a deeper voice. "Is that you?!"

_Shade!_

"G-guys?" someone coughed, spitting out water.

_Blast?!_

"Guys! I can't find River!" the voice squeaked again.

"Team Waterfall! They're here!" Daisy shouted.

Skye was staring in the direction of the voices, eyes wide. "Hey! Guys! Over here!" she snarled to Shade and Blast.

"What?" Shade growled loudly. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"IT'S ME! DAISY!" Daisy screamed.

"No need to be so loud!" Shade snapped. "What are you doing here, anyway!"

Daisy walked toward the voices until she was face to face with an Empoleon. "Flame sent a search party!"

"Why?" There was a puzzled expression on Shade's face.

"There's no time for questions!" Daisy snapped. "We have to go _now_!"

"Okay, okay!" Shade flicked his tail. "You do realize I'm the leader of Team Waterfall, right?"

"DEAR ARCEUS!" Daisy screeched. "Will you SHUT UP and FOLLOW ME?!"

Shade stared at her in awe, then followed her as she walked towards Skye. "Do you have Blast?" she ordered.

Shade nodded as the little Squirtle walked towards them.

"River?"

Shade sighed. "Can't find him anywhere."

"...Did you see Moon anywhere?"

Shade tilted his head. "No, why?"

Daisy ignored his question. Her tail lashed from side to side. "How about Eclipse?"

"He came with?"

Daisy's face flushed with anger. "WILL YOU STOP WITH ALL THE QUESTIONS?!"

Sighing, Shade looked away. "We can't find Team Vine, either," he reported. "I heard Tackle, but he's nowhere to be found. The last I heard of him..." He paused. Daisy could hear his heart pounding. "...was a screech."

"Alright." Daisy sighed deeply. "That's ALL I wanted to hear from you."

Shade didn't answer.

"Now, we have to find them," she growled. "We have to split up."

"What if we lose each other?"

Daisy gave him a long look.

"Okay, okay." Shade rolled his eyes.

"I'll go near the lake to look for River," Daisy began. "You and Blast can go look for Team Vine, and Skye will try to find Moon, Eclipse, and Storm. Got it?"

Shade nodded.

"Good." Daisy was surprised at how much of a leader she was acting. It was probably because when she was in school, she always took part in being leader of a debating group. Or maybe it was from her anger. "Report to me when you're done." With a flick of her tail, she was off to the lake.

"I'm not going to report to you!" Shade called. "I'm leader!"

Daisy bristled but didn't answer.

She sniffed the reeds, trying to find a trace of River, and found a couple footsteps leading upstream. Curiously she followed them, skirting bushes and mini trees.

A strange scent filled her nostrils, strong and fresh, until all of a sudden a Pokemon leaped on top of her. "You!" it snarled. "Are you that Umbreon I tried to capture earlier?"

Daisy widened her eyes. "Vaporeon?"

A smirk shown on the water Pokemon's face. Lightning made her look even more evil. "Yes, me. What do you want?"

"You're that..." Daisy was speechless.

"Who are you anyway?" The Vaporeon got off and lazily sat down to scratch her ears. Next to her was the limp body of a Snivy.

"Who are you?" Daisy snapped. "And what's that Pokemon you killed?"

The Vaporeon glanced at the Snivy. "Oh, that?" She chuckled. "The idiot just fell asleep right on my paws. I didn't feel like finishing him off then. Too unfair."

"Right," Daisy growled, standing up. "Unfair."

"So, why didn't you answer my question?" The Vaporeon asked.

"I want to know your name first," Daisy growled.

The Vaporeon laughed. "How rude." She grinned. "I haven't told my name to anyone in ages."

"Hey, weren't you rude before?" Daisy asked.

She seemed lost in thought as she glanced at the sky. "I was..." She took a deep breath. "Evil. But I decided to change. I don't want to be that rude person anymore." She looked straight into Daisy's surprised eyes. "So, you want to know my name?"

"Yes."

The Vaporeon grinned. "Well, too bad. It's a secret."

Daisy clawed her angrily. "Fine, I'll tell you mine first! Daisy."

"Daisy, huh?" The Vaporeon frowned. Something flashed in her eyes. "You look a lot like...Star."

Daisy gasped. "You know Star?!"

"Yes, yes. I was her best friend. My name is Stream."


	13. Chapter 12: An Unexpected Visitor

Daisy stared in shock at the Vaporeon. "You're Stream?" she asked.

Stream frowned. "You know me? Or am I popular?" She puffed out her chest.

"No... But Eclipse told me about you."

"Oh?" Stream raised an eyebrow. "I heard he liked Star. What does he think about you?"

"He thinks I AM Star..." Daisy replied.

Stream chuckled. "Didn't he find her body? He must've gone mad thinking YOU were HER."

Daisy chuckled, too. "Yeah."

Stream lashed her tail. "Should I...come back to the Guild, do you think?" She sighed. "They probably think I'm dead..."

"That's not..." Daisy paused. "That's not possible right now." She sighed. "Half the Guild is gone."

Stream bristled. "From the fire?"

Daisy nodded.

"Well...where will they stay, then? I could come visit."

Daisy shrugged. "Follow me, then."

Stream picked up the Snivy and padded back to the lake. She stared at the river. "I feel like someone's watching us..."

"Maybe they are. There's a bunch of Pokemon looking for my friends. I'll explain the story later."

Stream dropped the Snivy.

"Is he Team Vine?" Daisy asked.

Stream nodded. "He told me. That one barely talks, though... I think he might cut himself."

Daisy shuddered. "Let's wait until he wakes up. My friends are looking for him, so I need to report to them about finding him."

Stream looked around. "Where are they all?"

"DAISY!" someone screeched.

The Umbreon spun around to notice Skye bolting towards her. She looked relieved once she spotted the Snivy. "Oh, good, you found Night." Her eyes narrowed at the Vaporeon. "Who's she?"

"Stream."

Skye's eyes widened. "Stream's dead!"

Stream smirked. "You didn't see my body anywhere, did you?"

"Oh, yeah...We only found Star's." Skye sighed.

"Hey, who killed you anyway?" Daisy asked.

Stream opened her mouth to reply, but Skye interrupted. "I couldn't find anyone."

Daisy glared at her.

"I saw Shade and Blast, but they were still looking," the Ninetails continued.

Daisy paused. "So we still need to find Eclipse, Storm, Moon, Tackle, and River. That's a lot."

Skye shuffled her paws. "Bad luck that I couldn't find anyone, right?"

Stream frowned. "Who are they? I mean, I know Eclipse and Moon, but the others?"

"Tackle and Night are part of a rescue team called Team Vine," Skye said. "They started their own team shortly after you went missing. Daisy and Storm are part of one called Team Darkened Thunder, and River recently joined Team Waterfall."

"Wow, there's a lot that I missed." Stream chuckled.

Skye nodded.

Daisy looked down at her paws. "I have this bad feeling that someone died in the fire..."

Skye glanced at her. "Of course. It would be a miracle if no one did."

"I know, but still." Daisy looked up. "You wouldn't want anyone dying, would you?"

"Of course not." Skye frowned. "Why would I? But it probably happened."

Daisy also frowned. "Yeah...Probably..."

Rain pattered her fur. Lightning split the sky. "At this rate, there will be a ton of meteors."

"I haven't seen one yet," Stream admitted.

"Back home, Flame's probably calling a ton of patrols," Skye said.

Daisy looked around. "Shouldn't you be trying to find Moon, Eclipse, and Storm?"

Skye's face fell. "It's no use." She breathed out a soft sigh. "I can't find them anymore."

There was a screech and a loud crap of thunder. Smoke filled Daisy's nostrils.

"What is that screech?" Stream hissed. "Why do I keep on hearing it?"

"Oh no." Skye glanced at the sky. "That's Tackle."

Daisy's heart skipped a beat. "What do you think...?"

Skye leaped to her paws and looked at the river. "We have to find him!" Without waiting for a reply, she bolted through the grass.

Daisy and Stream exchanged a glance.

"So, who were you looking for?" Stream asked after a long silence.

"River," Daisy replied.

Stream looked around. "I think I saw a body of a Buizel-"

"That's him!" Daisy jumped to her paws. "Where did you see him?" she demanded.

Stream chuckled. "Over by the lake, in a clearing next to a pile of burnt reeds. He didn't look shriveled to a crisp, and he was breathing, but I think he's unconscious."

"Thanks!" Daisy rushed to the lake and skidded to a stop next to the reeds, sniffing the ground. She skirted bushes and tall grass, then finally stopped and looked straight ahead of her.

Burnt reeds were piled along the clearing, and in the center was a spread out Buizel breathing heavilly. "River!" she called, running over and shaking him.

He didn't answer.

"Guys! I found him!" she screeched, knowing they probably couldn't hear her.

Lightning cracked a mini tree in half, right in front of Daisy. She flinched, feeling heat pulse through her body. The trunk fell a few inches away from her and River. Any longer and it would've squished her friend flat as a pancake.

Daisy buried her nose into River's fur. "Wake up!" she whispered.

He didn't.

The reeds rustled as a Pokemon burst through them. Daisy looked up and sighed with relief. "Hi, Blast. Did you find anyone?"

"Well, Shade doesn't want to come because he doesn't want to take orders from a lower rank," the Squirtle grumbled. "And no. Did you?"

Daisy pointed to River.

Blast gasped. "River!" He bolted towards his teammate and curled up around him.

"Go back to searching," Daisy ordered.

Blast looked up, relief in his gaze, then got up and walked away. Before disappearing in the reeds, he looked over his shoulder. "Did you find anyone else?" he called.

"No."

Blast frowned, then lunged for the reeds.

Daisy's heart was pounding. River was breathing, but he could be dead any second now. And Storm, her partner, was still missing. Even though Eclipse was rude, she suddenly felt a pang of loneliness for the Houndoom. It was even worse with Moon gone. She was probably the one most likely dead.

She didn't know who Tackle was, but the screech he let out wasn't a good sign. And she was a little sad she might never get to know the little Pokemon.

Daisy couldn't sit vigil for River right now. She still had to search for more Pokemon. Grabbing the Buizel in her jaws, she raced toward Stream and dropped him at her paws.

"Guard him, will you?" she asked.

Stream nodded.

Daisy walked toward the river, sniffing occasionally and looking for footprints. She found a couple next to the stepping stones, but those were probably from when she was still looking for Team Waterfall with Eclipse and the others... and when she lost Moon.

Daisy's heart felt like it would explode out of her chest. The only Pokemon she had found was River, and he could be dead. Only Blast, Shade, Skye, Stream, and the Snivy weren't missing. She finally reached the stepping stones and padded alongside it. First, she would find Moon.

Rain pattered even harder on her fur, and she shook herself off, making her look like a ball of fluff. Lightning cracked overhead, and thunder roared in the distance. She squinted and noticed a small meteor falling from the sky. Shuddering, Daisy tried to ignore it and watched the river with determined eyes.

There was a screech and Daisy felt something hit the back of her head. She rolled over instantly, landing straight in the river.

Water hit her in the face. She lifted her head angrily, seeing red drops of blood land from the pebbles. "You just hurt my bottom!" she hissed.

A Squirtle was pointing and laughing at her. "I got you~!" he teased.

"Blast," Daisy growled, "you're supposed to be searching for Team Vine."

"It looks like you found Night," Blast pointed out.

Daisy tilted her head. "The Snivy?"

"Yeah. Or that Vaporeon did."

Daisy grinned. "Her name's Stream."

Blast gasped. "Stream?"

Daisy nodded.

Blast just sighed. "Odd..."

"Now go look for Tackle," she ordered.

Lightning flashed overhead. Blast nodded and ran off.

Daisy leaped out of the river, shaking herself off, and watched the tiny pool of blood fade from sight.

_So we have Night and River... but no luck with the others. Where could they all be?_

She padded upstream as the river curved around to enter the lake. _Great, now I probably have to pass the stepping stones._

"Moon?" she called.

No answer.

She looked around for a moment, and spotted Stream guarding River and Night. She looked pretty lazy.

Skye was sniffing among the grass. Daisy heard her say, "How could we lose Eclipse? He was right there, and now he's gone!"

Daisy saw Shade not far from Stream searching the grass. He was looking for Tackle. Why was that Bulbasaur always screeching?

Movement in the tall grass caught her eye. She slowly walked towards it curiously, keeping a safe distance away in case it was an enemy.

Then there was movement in the reeds. Daisy spun around. How many Pokemon were there?!

A force landed on her back and she let out a screech, knowing the others would probably hear. She thrashed wildly at the enemy Pokemon and he got off of her. Spinning around, Daisy saw the Pokemon as a Raichu. "You... I thought we killed you!"

Raichu smirked. "There's more. We've come to avenge the death of our friends!" With a snarl, he unleashed Thunderbolt. Daisy didn't have time to dodge as she collapsed on the ground.

Raichu walked over to her. "Vaporeon betrayed us," he growled. "She choose good over evil. She choose poorly. And now we will destroy her."

"Never!" Daisy hit him in the face with Tackle, sending him flying. She darted over and, just as he reached the ground, scratched his eyes.

"My friends see there's a couple dead Pokemon," Raichu said with a grin. "Or unconscious, but whatever. It would be perfect to eat." Then he went limp in her grasp.

Daisy widened her eyes, jumping off of him and racing towards where Stream was. She was crouched down next to River and Night, hissing at the Raichus in her path.

"How many are there?!" she gaped to the Vaporeon.

Stream shook her head. "I don't know, but can you help me out here?"

A Raichu looked up from munching on a Bulbasaur's head. He dropped it and eyed Stream, then immediantly bristled. "She is the enemy!"

Stream glared at him, but before she could speak, he was on her in seconds.

Daisy ran over to the Bulbasaur and glanced at it. It had to be the other member of Team Vine.

"Tackle!" someone screeched, flinging himself at the Bulbasaur. It was Shade.

Shade glanced at Daisy, then got off of Tackle. "You found him." He sighed with relief. "I thought we lost him!"

Daisy rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah, let's throw a party because we didn't find anyone else. We still need to find Storm, Eclipse, and Moon."

"That's it?" Shade gasped. "Look how many we found already!"

"Don't get your hopes up," Daisy growled. She hit a Raichu who was about to unleash Thunderbolt with a backward kick. "They could be dead."

Shade frowned, then used Water Gun on the Raichu once it got back up. "You're right."

"We killed two already, I think," Daisy said. She glanced at Stream, who was trying to fend off two of the Raichus. "I think she needs our help." She lunged towards the Raichus, hitting them each with a Tackle. Then she lifted her head and screeched the loudest scream she could do - Echoed Voice.

The Raichus hissed and covered their ears, with Shade and Stream trying desperately to cover theirs. Daisy felt bad she might hurt theirs, but she had to help defeat the Raichus.

Finally, the Echoed Voice stopped and she lay panting in the grass. Some of the Raichus were dead, but the others were running around screaming and covering their ears. When they realized she wasn't yelling anymore, they stopped and glanced at each other.

Shade hit one of them with a Water Gun, sending it flying.

Daisy hit another with Tackle, scratching its eyes angrily. "Go to hell, idiots!" She sent another one flying with a backward kick. One landed on her back. With a shriek, Daisy tried to claw at it, but Stream was quicker. She rammed into the Raichu and threw it off Daisy.

Daisy hissed angrily, looking for her next opponent.

River and Night had gotten up; River glancing weakly around. Daisy gasped once she realized a Raichu was right behind him. "Watch out!" she screeched, but it was too late. A Volt Tackle hit him in the back and sent him flying. With a hiss, Daisy hit the Raichu with Tackle, but he dodged easily and smirked.

"Weak, aren't ya?" Something struck the Raichu as familiar, but she didn't have time to think before he was on her.

Stream was wrestling with another Raichu, who kept on clawing her. Finally she sent him flying with a backward kick and glanced at Daisy. Her fur bristled. "You!" she snarled.

Raichu glanced at Stream and smirked. "I know you!"

"You're-" Suddenly another Raichu landed on top of her and started choking her. Daisy rolled over and landed on top of that Raichu, clawing it to pieces. It went limp in her grasp.

All of the Raichus were glancing oddly at each other, as if they couldn't decide whether to retreat or attack.

Daisy bristled and glanced at them all. "Well?" she snarled.

The fat Raichu which Daisy had thought familiar sighed and went in the middle of the circle of his pack. "Retreat!" he growled, then shot a glare at Daisy. "I'm watching you! Ever return to Smoky Woods again and you WILL die!"

Daisy glared at him. "Never!" She bared her teeth, then stalked away to River. The Buizel was in the middle of wrestling with a Raichu when it ran away. "Cowards!" he snarled to the pack. "Stand and fight!"

"Don't," Daisy warned, standing at his side. "They might do it."

River glanced at Daisy, then widened his eyes. They were full of relief. "You came!" he breathed.

Daisy grinned. "Where's Night?"

Night was still glaring at a Raichu next to him.

"Go home!" Daisy growled to the Raichu. "Your leader said to retreat!"

The Raichu glanced at Daisy. "Our leader is weak, then," he hissed, casting one last glare at Night before darting off.

"Coward!" Night growled to him.

Daisy exchanged a glance with Night. "Come on," she said. "We still have to find Storm, Moon, and Eclipse."

Night stared at her for a moment, then nodded. He stuck his face in the air as he stalked over to the river.

"Those Raichus are all cowards," River snarled. "Especially their leader, retreating like that."

"It was a good thing," Daisy reminded him. "Fighting isn't fun. You could get killed. Smoky Woods Pokemon won't think twice about killing."

River rolled his eyes. "I learned that the hard way."

Before Daisy could ask why, Stream walked over to them. "I know him," she breathed.

"Who?" Daisy asked.

Stream glanced at her paws, then back at Daisy. "The leader of their pack of Raichus."

"What's his name?" River growled. "I'll tear his face off."

Stream sighed. "He's-"

A Ninetails ran over to them, breathless. A drop of blood fell from a nick in her ear. "That was unexpected."

Daisy frowned. "Right. Any luck in finding anyone?"

Skye glanced at River and Night. "Well, they're safe, luckily. I couldn't find Moon, Eclipse, or Storm, but a trace of pawprints were there. Some of them might've been Eclipse, so he's alive."

"Of course, him," Daisy muttered under her breath. She'd much rather have Storm or Moon alive. Plus, if Storm was dead, then she'd be left with no rescue team. Team Darkened Thunder would be no more.

Skye frowned. "Where's Blast?"

"Over here." The Squirtle looked like he was full of energy as he burst through a pile of burnt reeds.

Shade glared at Blast. "Did you avoid the battle?"

"That's so much like him," River growled. "Lazy."

Daisy sighed, then glanced at the Bulbasaur. "Tackle, wake up," she whispered in his ear.

The Bulbasaur was still breathing, and he rolled over once she spoke, moaning and covering his face with his paws. "Who's there?"

Daisy poked him.

"Woah!" Tackle stood up immediantly and glanced at the Umbreon. "...Daisy?!"

"How do you know my name? I never really met you before..." Daisy replied.

Tackle grinned. "River's always talking about you!"

River's face turned red. "Shut up, Tackle. YOU said you always stalk her through the window."

It was Daisy's turn to feel her face grow hot. "What?!"

Tackle flinched, startled. "H-he's lying! I just see you at the dinner table, that's all!"

"Both," River muttered.

Daisy glared at them. "We have to hurry," she growled. "If Eclipse was here, he'd be freaking."

"Flame's probably wondering where we are." Skye nodded.

"She might think we've all died in the fire," River growled. "Let's hurry up and try to find our friends."

Daisy nodded, throwing on a determined face. She sprinted toward the river; Skye, River, Stream, Night, Tackle, Shade, and Blast following.

She skidded to a stop once she reached the reeds and kept her gaze to the ground, searching for pawprints. She saw a couple of them next to the reeds that looked a lot like a Houndoom's, so this was probably what Skye found. They led further into the woods.

Skye sighed. "This is where I saw the Raichus. I think we have to get in there."

Daisy nodded, feeling worry prick at her fur. What other secrets could be in Smoky Woods?

Once they were back in the trees, a Crobat appeared in front of their faces, flying away as soon as it saw it was outnumbered. A tick landed on Daisy's head and she had to shake it off.

"I don't like the looks of this place..." River began.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "No one does."

River shuddered. "What is Eclipse doing so far in these woods, anyway?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Skye grunted. The path veered off into the trees. Daisy couldn't help but shudder, also.

"This is creepy!" Tackle complained. "When we first started our mission, it was nowhere bad as this!"

"Wait." Skye flicked her tail. "I think this path leads to the Guild."

Daisy perked her ears up in interest.

"Really?" Tackle gasped. "What's he doing there? Wasn't he supposed to help look for us?"

Skye shrugged. "He must be mad or something. I don't know what his problem is."

Daisy glanced on worriedly. "Let's follow the track. We have to figure out what he's up to."

River had a suspicious look in his eye. "She's right," he growled.

While the others padded ahead, Daisy dropped to River's side. "So you're suspicious too," she whispered.

River nodded. "I think you should stay away from him."

"I don't need to be protected," Daisy pointed out.

River sighed. "I'm just worried..." He trailed off.

"It's okay." Daisy nodded. "I'm worried, too. Eclipse might be working against us." She thought about what Zeke said to her that morning on Floor 6. Eclipse was on the good side. Was he lying, or was that beaten up Pokemon lying? She didn't know who to believe, but she was still suspicious of Eclipse. Was he the enemy?

River shuddered. "Look, there's a light up ahead."

Daisy looked under her. The prints had stopped because this wasn't wet earth, but it was kind of obvious he had been padding back to Earth Town.

Then she looked ahead of her. The light nearly blinded her, but it was there.

"Let's run," Skye ordered, and everyone began to dart out of Smoky Woods.

"Great, there's a log." River glared at it. "Now what?"

Daisy grinned. That was almost exactly what Storm said.

"Jump over it," Shade growled, then leaped on top of it, beckoning for the others to follow.

Skye went second, then Daisy and River, and Blast, Tackle, and Night brought up the rear.

Finally they reached the broken sign of Earth Town. The scent of smoke and fire made Daisy flinch and wrinkle her nose. "I almost forgot the Guild exploded..." she growled.

River gasped. "It did?!"

"I'll explain later." Daisy frowned.

"Is that it?" Shade pointed to a broken building not far from them that had half of one side on fire.

"Yes. It's still on fire?" Skye's voice was filled with shock.

"Whoever set of those explosives is mad," River hissed.

Daisy glanced at River. Was he thinking what she was thinking?

"Let's go," Skye growled. She stared at Daisy. "You can lead the way."

Shade snarled, but didn't say anything.

Daisy padded to the front of the group and walked slowly toward the broken building. She was breathless from running, and she was pretty sure everyone else was, too.

They passed Earth Town Hospital. Clefairy was outside, looking all shocked as she stared at the fire, which was expected. She didn't even notice the group of Pokemon pass.

"Wow... It doesn't look the same." River gasped.

Blast looked speechless.

Shade stared at it in awe.

Finally, they reached the remains of Daisy's home. Everyone was crowded around it, occasionally gasping and throwing odd glances at it.

"You're back!" Flame walked over to them happily. "What happened? Where's Storm and Moon?"

"Where's Eclipse?" Skye asked.

Flame frowned. "He came back to the Guild, but he didn't really say anything, and I don't know where he is now."

Daisy and River exchanged a suspicious glance.

"So, where's Moon and Storm?" Flame repeated.

"Missing." Skye sighed. "While we were searching for Team Waterfall and Team Vine, Moon got taken by a Charizard, and Storm just disappeared."

Daisy nodded, her heart pounding. "The last word I heard out of him was 'Watch out!' before he went missing."

Flame frowned. "I will send a search party for them." She nodded to Daisy. "You'll come with, because he's your partner. If we can't find him..." She paused. "You will have to join another rescue team or leave the Guild."

Daisy dipped her head. She was aware of River's sad gaze following her as they disappeared in the mass of Pokemon.

"You came back!" Silver jumped on her, startling her, and she flinched. "Where's Storm and Moon?" she squeaked.

Daisy shook her head. "Missing."

Silver frowned. "What if Storm is..." She trailed off.

Daisy knew what she was going to say next. She let out a sigh. "I don't know." She flicked her tail. "Go back to Snow."

Silver nodded and scurried off. Daisy recognized the Mightyena glancing around, as if trying to find Eclipse. Where was he?

"ATTENTION GUILD MEMBERS!" Flame screeched. "We still have part of the Guild left, but most of it is demolished. The table is broken, but I have workers fixing it now. Pretty soon we can all eat again."

"Oh food I'll never leave you again!" Sky cried. She was munching on a cookie next to Daisy.

"Where'd you get that?!" Daisy stared in shock at her friend.

"Flame offered us snacks." Sky's voice was muffled by chewing, and her face was covered in chocolate. "Too bad you weren't there. It's so good!"

"Can I have some?" Daisy asked. Her belly rumbled with hunger.

Sky gave her a piece. "Sure." She finished swallowing and let out a big burp.

Daisy gasped at how delicious the cookie was. "Does Flame have more?!"

"Oh, she has tons!" Sky had a dreamy look in her eyes. "Follow me!"

Daisy looked at what was left of the brown table where they always ate at. Most of the cushions were safe, luckily, and a cookie jar was placed on one of them. A bunch of Pokemon crowded around it.

"Me first!" a Togetic said.

"No, me!" an Espeon hissed.

"Shut up Sapphire!" The Togetic frowned. "You get everything!"

Sapphire glared at her friend. "No, you do, Ruby!"

While they were fighting, Snow came up and stole three cookies from the jar. She giggled and handed one to Silver.

Daisy walked over to her. "Can I have some? I'm hungry!" she complained.

"Sure." Snow ate one and gave the other to Daisy. Once she swallowed, she added, "I was going to give one to Eclipse, but I have no clue where he is."

"Me, neither." Daisy frowned.

Snow had a worried expression on her face, but there was something else there, too. She couldn't find what it was.

"What are you looking at?" Snow asked.

"Nothing." Daisy sighed, looking away.

"It's so good!" Silver cried. "MORE, SNOW!"

Snow had impatience in her voice. "Not right now. The others need to eat. Don't worry, you'll get to eat more soon."

Silver frowned. "Fine."

Daisy grinned, glancing at Silver. She felt a stab of sympanthy for Snow for having to take care of a Poochyena who always complained.

"Come on!" Sky tugged her paw. "Flame just reported the dead bodies of Team Wonder!"

"WHAT?" Daisy ran over to where Sky was pointing at, noticing a Beedrill, Whimiscott, and Abomasnow lying at her paws. She gasped. They looked all burnt and beaten up.

Sky frowned. "Those were the only members I know of who died in the fire."

"Is there anyone who didn't respond to the roll call?" Daisy asked.

"Yes." Sky nodded. "There was a lot of them. But one of them was..." She sighed. "Exploud."

Daisy gasped. "He might be dead!"

Sky shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be safe..."

Daisy glanced at the limp bodies of Team Wonder. She felt a pang of sadness that their whole team died, even though she never really met them before.

"They were Master Rank," Sky explained. "They were so close to graduating."

That didn't lift Daisy's spirits.

She sighed as she walked over to River and sat down. He had a dazed look on his face.

"River? You okay?" She poked him.

River didn't answer for a moment, then shook his head and nodded. "I'm fine."

Daisy frowned. "Who do you think set the bomb off in the Guild?"

River shrugged. "I have a feeling I know who it is...But I'm not sure you'll believe me."

Daisy chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I will." She paused.

"Well...I think it may be Eclipse or something." River frowned.

Daisy nodded. "Maybe. That's exactly what I was thinking."

River sat down. "Cool." He yawned. "I'm so tired. That fire made me exhausted."

Daisy felt her eyes droop. "Me, too, but it's not dark yet. We have to wait a while."

River stretched. "Meh."

Daisy looked at the sky, which was only dark because it was raining. She couldn't even tell if it was afternoon or what, but the small light poking out between two puffy clouds told her it was.

River had the same dazed look in his eyes whenever Daisy glanced at him. She wondered what he was thinking.

"Daisy! Daisy!" someone cried. Immediately a force landed on her back. Startled, she fell down.

"What?" she growled, rolling over and sitting up.

It was Tackle. "Flame wants you," he squeaked.

Daisy nodded and followed the little Bulbasaur around the mass of Pokemon. Finally, they reached Flame, who was talking to one of the rescue team members.

Flame quit talking and glanced at Daisy. "Oh, hi! I need to talk to you about something."

Daisy nodded. "What is it?"

"Meatloaf," Flame replied. "I've decided you, Team Sun, and Team Skittle will go on a search party to find Storm and Moon."

"Who so many teams?" Daisy frowned.

Flame sighed. "Smoky Woods is a dangerous place. There's been so many search parties needed to be sent there it's unbelievable."

Daisy nodded. "When will we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Flame replied.

Daisy suddenly felt awkward. She didn't know who Team Skittle was or any of their members. It would be another team she would have to introduce herself to.

She turned back to River, whose gaze was fixed on the sky.

"River?" she called.

River turned around to Daisy. "Hi," he said, looking dazed.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked.

River cast odd glances at the sky every now and then. "Fine," he said. "Everything's fine." His eyes drooped.

Daisy frowned, looking at him closely.

"What are you looking at?" River asked.

"Nothing." Daisy sighed.

River clutched his stomach. "Where's the water fountain?" he asked.

"Um...there is no water fountain..." Daisy said.

River started to breathe heavily. Then he began to laugh. "Ha...hahaha...haha..."

"River, are you okay?"

"Haha...What's a water fountain? Hahaha..."

"River, what's wrong?" Daisy snapped.

River closed his eyes, then reopened them. "Possessed..." He clutched his stomach again, then repeated, "Where's the water fountain?"

Daisy frowned. "There is no water fountain."

"Haha...What's a water fountain? Hahaha..." River fell over.

Daisy slowly backed away, then turned and ran. Something was definitely wrong with River.

She suddenly bumped into Snow. "Sorry!" she said.

Snow grinned. "It's okay."

Silver was walking around in circles. "I need another cookie!" she complained.

"You'll get one soon," Snow replied gently.

Silver sat down with a thump. "Fine." She huffed.

Snow smiled. "Don't worry."

Daisy wondered how she could be so gentle to an annoying pup.

Silver started to complain again after a few moments. "When am I going to get another cookie?"

Snow licked her behind the ear. "Soon."

Silver growled but didn't answer.

Daisy was SURPRISED at how whiny the little Poochyena was.

"Don't be sad," she told her. "It'll be your turn soon."

Silver glared at Daisy. "Where did you come from?"

"Don't be rude." Snow wrapped her tail around Silver.

Silver immediantly pulled away. "I'm not a baby!"

"Yes, you are," Daisy pointed out.

Silver glared at Daisy again. "I'm not!"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Yes, you are."

"No I'm not!" Silver hissed.

"Yes you are," Daisy growled.

"No, I'm not!' Silver jumped to her paws.

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"You are."

"Don't argue." Snow frowned at Daisy.

"I was just saying," Daisy snapped, turning away.

A loud noise came from Earth Town Hospital and a glass door broke open. "What the?" Daisy said aloud.

Snow looked worried. "What's going on this time?"

"Maybe they see the fire," Silver pointed out.

"Maybe." Snow sighed.

Daisy glanced at the hospital. The Pokemon that had jumped out was wrapped around in a blanket. "What the hell?"

"What's going on?" Silver squeaked.

Snow grinned. "Don't worry, Silver. Someone probably just wanted to look at the fire, that's all."

"There it is!" the Pokemon was crying. "The Guild!"

Something flashed in Snow's eyes.

"What?" Daisy asked.

Snow didn't answer.

"That sounds...familiar," Silver whimpered.

"It does." Snow frowned, then jumped to her paws. "Come on, let's check it out."

Daisy blocked them. "Not you guys. What if that one's a murderer?"

Snow glared at her. "He'd never murder anyone!" Then she seemed to relax. "You're right. Nevermind." She sat down again.

Daisy nodded, staring suspiciously at the Mightyena. Was she thinking of anyone in particular? Before she could ask, a Clefairy came jumping out after the mysterious Pokemon. She was frowning worriedly. "You're supposed to be in the hospital."

The Pokemon stared at the Clefairy, then back at the Guild. It unwrapped itself to show a huge beaten up face. Daisy had to look away.

There was shock in Snow's eyes. "What..."

Silver whimpered. "That face looks familiar, too!"

Snow's fur bristled.

"What's wrong?" Daisy asked her, but she didn't answer.

Very slowly she glanced at the beaten up Pokemon. Was it that one she saw in Floor 6?

The Pokemon was a Dewott.

"It's him," Snow gasped.

"Who?" Daisy growled.

Snow jumped to her paws. Before she could answer, the Dewott walked over and began to speak. "I have important news," he began. His voice was hoarse and cracked.

"What?" Flame asked, tilting her head to one side.

Clefairy darted over and frowned at the Dewott. "I know this may be important and all, but you still need to be treated! Come back!"

"I'll come back when I'm done," the Dewott growled. "I have important news," he repeated impatiently, glancing at all the Pokemon.

"What is it?" Flame asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Dewott gaped at the Guild. "You should've warned them," he growled. "Or this wouldn't have happened."

"Who?" Flame asked.

The Dewott kept on muttering words under his breath. "He came..." he whispered, shooting a bunch of glances at Daisy. Daisy covered Snow in case he recognized the Mightyena. She didn't want Eclipse overhearing, or he'd probably get all jealous.

The Dewott stretched his head to see behind Daisy, but he ended up giving up and sighed. "The Guild wouldn't have been put on fire if you hadn't warned them," he snarled.

Daisy gulped. Was this her fault?!

The Dewott sighed. "I should've warned you all..." He frowned. "But I didn't have the chance...So I have to now..."

"You're speaking nonsense." Clefairy frowned. "Go back to the hospital, I'm sure you'll make up your mind then."

"No!" The Dewott whipped around and glared at his nurse. "It'll be too late then!"

Clefairy blinked. "Okay, then speak whatever news you have, and then you can come back."

Just before the Dewott could respond, Snow stood up on her hind legs. "Rain!" she hissed. "It's you!"


	14. Chapter 13: A Deadly Sacrifice

Daisy stared in shock at Snow as she stood up. She _knew _this Pokemon?

Snow continued glaring at Rain. "Why did you leave?" she asked.

Everyone's heads turned around to stare at Snow.

Rain's eyes widened in surprise. "S-Snow what are you doing here?"

Snow kept her gaze fixed on him. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought you died after you went missing!"

Rain frowned. "I almost did... I'm just glad you're safe."

Daisy looked around wildly, praying to Arceus that Eclipse wasn't there.

Snow rushed over to Rain and pressed his nose into his fur. "Where were you?!

Everyone's heads turned away, except for Silver, who was following Snow.

"If they kiss, I'm gonna puke," Sky yelled.

Daisy giggled.

"Isn't she with Eclipse now?"

Daisy turned her head to notice Skye padding over. She shrugged. "I think so, but who is Rain?"

Skye frowned. "Maybe he's her former mate..."

"I wonder what Eclipse's doing right now if he even sees this."

"You're right." Skye shuddered, then turned towards Snow and Rain. Immediately she looked away. "Don't watch that."

Daisy decided not to. "I hope Eclipse isn't here," she explained after an awkward silence.

Skye nodded. "He probably isn't. He's probably somewhere doing something strange."

_Should I tell her my suspicions about Eclipse? _She shook her head lightly. _No...she probably wouldn't believe me. They're partners._

Daisy looked up worriedly.

"Anything wrong?" Skye asked.

"Nothing." Daisy sighed. "I'm just thinking about what Eclipse is doing."

"Don't be suspicious," Skye pointed out. "He didn't do anything."

Daisy looked at her. "Maybe you're right, but still..." She paused. "It had to be someone."

"And it's not Eclipse." Skye frowned.

Daisy was silent.

"Ew!" Sky padded over to them. "Where's Eclipse? I expected him to kill Rain for doing that to Snow."

Daisy looked at her disgusted. "You know about them now?" Did she share her suspicions about Eclipse?

Sky nodded. "Practically everyone does."

Daisy grinned. "That's cool."

"Let's pray Eclipse doesn't come over any second now." Sky shuddered. "Who knows what he'd do to Rain?"

Daisy frowned. Again, she had the thought that Sky shared her suspicions about Eclipse. Before she could ask, Skye got in the way. "I have to talk to Daisy in private now, Sky." She let out a sigh. "Sorry."

"It's cool!" Sky flashed a smile, then disappeared in the mass of Pokemon back to the remains of the table.

"Remember a day ago when I told you about the dreams I had?" Skye asked.

Daisy thought about it. She widened her eyes. It had only been a day ago, but it seemed like weeks ago. "What about it?"

Skye frowned. "I had them yesterday, too. But this time they were clearer. I think I know what the Pokemon who died in the meteor was."

"Who?" Daisy asked, excitement lingering at her paws.

"It was a-" Before Skye could say it, someone came stomping in between them.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "Who's that?"

Daisy's heart sank. It was Eclipse.

Eclipse continued glaring at Rain as if he was a threat. "What are you doing to Snow?!"

Snow backed away and glanced at Eclipse. "H-he's...a good friend of mine..."

Eclipse stared at her in surprise. "A good _friend_?" he spat angrily. "Yeah, right! More like a mate!"

Snow widened her eyes. "That's not true!"

Rain looked down at his paws, embarrassed.

Eclipse shook his head. "I can't believe you'd cheat on me like that." His eyes were filled with anger and sadness. "It's over."

"What?!" Snow backed away again.

"It is!" Eclipse snapped. "Surprised?" He turned around and raced behind the remains of the Guild.

Daisy stared blankly at Snow, whose eyes were filled with distraught.

"I'm sorry..." Rain said. "I didn't expect that to happen..." His eyes were filled with sadness, too, since Snow had taken a new mate after his disappearance.

"No, I'm sorry." Snow sighed. "I didn't expect Eclipse to be like this. He should know I had a mate before him."

Rain looked at her. "It's not your fault. And I would be like that, too, if you had a mate before me and were talking to him."

Snow didn't answer. "I think Eclipse hates me now..." she murmured.

"Don't worry..." Rain smiled. "You have me."

Snow looked up into his eyes. "I know..."

Daisy grinned.

Flame glared at them. "What were you going to say, Rain?" she demanded, glancing at Snow a little awkwardly. Daisy didn't blame her.

Rain flinched. "Oh, sorry." He sighed. "I have important news."

"Yeah, yeah, we know that," Flame growled. "Get to it already."

Rain frowned. "Do any of you know about a Darkrai?"

Everyone gave each other confused stares.

"I guess not." Rain let out a sigh. "Well, he's evil, and he's spreading darkness across the lands. He's already gotten a few Pokemon here..." He glanced at Flame as if she wouldn't believe him if he said Eclipse was one of them. "...hypnotized," he finished.

Flame stared at him. "Is that it?"

Rain shook his head. "No, it's not. Thunder's alive, too."

Everyone gasped.

Eclipse came out of his hiding place and gaped at Snow's former mate.

"It's true. And he's evil." Rain paused, looking down at his paws. "You may not believe me... but he's the one who beat me up and made me disappear." He turned his gaze to Snow.

Snow gasped.

"But if I didn't disappear, you would've probably never came to the Guild," Rain continued. "And I never really wanted to join anyway..."

Flame glared at him.

"So if you guys see Thunder," Rain said, ignoring Flame's glare, "keep an eye on him. He's evil."

"That's what I thought!" Eclipse snapped. "I thought he killed Stream and Star!"

There was something in his eyes when he said 'Star'. Daisy knew what he meant and she let out an annoyed huff.

"What?" Skye asked.

"Oh, nothing," Daisy growled.

Rain nodded, glancing at Eclipse for a moment before returning his gaze to Flame. "So Darkrai's got Thunder in his trap, but Thunder's not actually hypnotized. He's technically Darkrai's servant."

Flame let out a burst of flame from her nostrils, making everyone flinch. "And how do you expect me to believe this?"

Rain dipped his head. "I didn't expect you to. I'm just warning you that he's bad news."

Flame rolled her eyes. "Then how you know this?" she asked.

Rain frowned. "My mother came to me in a dream-"

"Exactly!" Flame stomped her foot. "It was just a dream!" She glared at him. "Thunder is a nice Pokemon, Rain. I know him and you don't...much. So don't expect me to believe you."

"I won't."

Snow walked over to Rain and licked his cheek. "I do."

"Thanks." Rain grinned.

Eclipse glared at them, disgusted, before turning away and stomping back to his hiding spot.

_You're the one who broke up with her!_

Daisy wanted to yell the words out, but knew she couldn't.

"Sorry about Eclipse..." Rain started again.

Snow smiled. "It's not your fault. He's just jealous."

That Mightyena was never angry at anything! She talked about jealousy as if it didn't even matter. No wonder the two Pokemon were padding after her.

Rain gazed after Eclipse. "So you're not sad about this?"

"Of course I'm sad," Snow replied. "But you're my true mate."

"Okay, enough with the lovey stuff," Flame snapped. "Rain, you can go now."

Rain was looking at the remains of the Guild. "I can help fix it, if you'd let me."

Flame was looking as if she'd retort, but everyone glared at her. "Alright, fine. We need all the workers we can get." She glanced at Snow. "But don't spend too much time with her."

_Yeah, Eclipse might try something. _Daisy bit back the words, surprised at herself for thinking them. He'd never try something to Rain. Didn't he want Snow happy?

_She technically cheated on him first...but it wasn't really her fault. Eclipse should stop being more angry. Rain was hers first. _Daisy grinned at her own words.

"Where will we go?" Sky asked loudly. "The Guild's not going to be finished anytime soon."

"We'll have to find some place to live," someone from the crowd added.

Flame seemed to think about it for a while. "I know of a place," she finally said. "It's not really huge, and it's not even much of a building, but it's not far and it accepts rescue teams."

"What's it called?" Snow asked.

"Pidgeot's Training Camp," Flame said.

Daisy looked up in interest. "How come we've never heard of it before?"

"Most of us do," Flame answered. "But usually we don't talk about much."

"When do we leave?" Rain asked.

Flame glanced at him. "Right now. I want you to come with, though. We already have workers."

Daisy turned around to see a few Machamps [I can't think of anything else D:] at the back of the crowd.

Rain grinned.

Flame frowned as if she didn't want him to come with. "Or you can stay if you want."

Rain shook his head.

"We'll leave in groups since there's so many of us," Flame roared. "I will lead one with Team Sun, Team Skittle, Team Bolt..."

When she finished calling out the team names for her group, Team Meteor was next. Luckily Daisy wasn't in that one. But she felt her fur prickle when Team Darkness was going to lead one. _What's so special about them?_

Eclipse held his head high and stalked past Snow without even looking at her. Snow looked away and Rain glared at him.

Skye frowned and kept her head low as she walked with him. Daisy knew how she felt. Moon was supposed to be with them.

Flame glared at her camp members. "Team Darkness is leading one group because they are the most trusted."

_The most trusted?! _Daisy bit back the words. _I don't even trust Eclipse!_

Eclipse grinned. "Thanks."

Flame just nodded. "Team Meteor's group will go through Lonely Cave, my group will go through Smoky Woods, hopefully finding Moon and Storm somewhere there." She hesitated. "Team Darkness' group will go through Golden will leave immediately."

Daisy wondered why the Charizard was in such a hurry. She kept her pace beside Skye as they trekked to the hills, praying to Arceus that Flame and her group would make it. She also hoped that they'd find Moon and Storm. Daisy missed the cheerful young Pokemon and also missed her partner. They were just finally starting to get along, but it was a bit hard because he was so grumpy. Daisy felt like her heart was being wrenched out of her chest. If Storm was...gone, she'd have to quit Team Darkened Thunder. And she wouldn't want that.

"Do you miss Storm?" Skye whispered.

"Of course." Daisy sighed. "Let's not talk about this."

Skye was silent.

Daisy looked around her. Team Flash had joined them on their group, and Snow was padding beside Rain and Silver. Flame had ordered him to be in Team Meteor's group, but he didn't want to hear it. That Dewott could be bossy sometimes, but he was normally nice.

They passed the entrance to the woods. The log was still covering the beginning of it, and she giggled at how many Pokemon were complaining about how big it was.

Skye was giggling, too. It seemed to cheer her up but she still looked depressed. Daisy didn't know how to make her more happy, so she just kept quiet.

"Hopefully they find Moon and Storm," Eclipse growled. "As much as Moon is childish, I miss her a little."

Daisy perked her ears. Was he lying or did he actually miss her? She pushed the thought to the back of her mind - she didn't trust Rain fully yet, so he could be lying. _Is he the enemy? He could be. Eclipse could just be rude, and Rain's hiding his true personality._

She blocked out her thoughts once more, feeling creeped out that the Dewott might be hiding something. He wouldn't do something like that.

As she looked behind her, Rain was talking cheerfully to Snow and Silver, who were chuckling together. Eclipse seemed bothered by it, and he bristled a couple times, his eyes never turning away from Snow. _You broke up with her! _Daisy wanted to growl. For some reason she couldn't trust Rain or Eclipse. She had to protect Snow if something happened.

Snow didn't even notice Eclipse staring at her. Her gaze was fixed on Rain. Daisy sighed. Rain seemed so beaten up and full of fear when she met him on Floor 6. Was he on the good side or bad side? Questions blazed through her mind like a fire.

Skye seemed lost in thought when she turned back to the Ninetails, so she decided not to bother her.

Daisy looked up ahead of her, noticing the bright field of Golden Hills right in front of her. It didn't look bright today. When her gaze fixed on the sky, it was cloudy and raining as fast as the wind. She shuddered and her fur fluffed up against the cold. Eclipse was the same way.

Daisy felt oddly uncomfortable with how he stared at Snow, even though he wasn't staring at her. The fur prickled along her spine, and she moved closer to Skye without their pelts touching. Would he try something on the Mightyena? Was he turning insane ever since he thought Daisy was Star? Breaking up with Snow might've made it worse.

"What are you doing?" Skye's words made Daisy snap back to the present.

The Umbreon sighed. "Sorry," she replied, moving quickly away.

"Why do you keep on looking on Snow, Rain, and Eclipse like that?" Skye narrowed her eyes.

"I'm just worried about the tension between them, that's all," Daisy said.

"Well, don't be," Skye continued. "Nothing's going to happen."

Daisy dipped her head. "Maybe. Thanks, Skye."

"For what?" Skye asked.

"Helping and being a nice friend. You didn't deserve to lose Moon like that."

Skye's face fell. "You're right." She looked longily towards Smoky Woods. "Please let them find her..."

Daisy felt a stab of sympanthy for the Ninetails. She felt the same for her partner being lost. He wasn't declared dead yet, but he was missing, and there was a good chance of him dead.

Suddenly the rain started to pour harder. Daisy flinched as one landed on her nose and she sneezed. Skye chuckled with laughter. At least that made her more happy, even if the sadness appeared back in her eyes a moment later.

Eclipse spun around and glared at them, keeping one jealous eye on Snow. "Will you stop doing that?" he hissed. "It's bad enough listening to them!" He flicked his tail towards Rain, Snow, and Silver.

Snow flinched. Rain glared at Eclipse and stepped protectively in front of the Mightyena. Again, Daisy felt that odd feeling he was up to something. But she was more suspicious of Eclipse.

Eclipse turned back and stalked to the front of the group, keeping his head high. Finally he stopped staring at Snow. Was he happy she was sad?

Daisy wondered why she was thinking all these bad thoughts. She tried to block them off as they padded forward, but it kept coming back. She found herself looking at Eclipse strangely.

"What's wrong with him?" Skye hissed.

Daisy flinched at the sudden noise. She glanced at Skye. "Nothing." Out of all the Pokemon, Skye was the one she wouldn't want to talk to about her suspicions. The Ninetails wouldn't react very happy after that.

Instead, she padded over to Snow, not wanting to talk to Skye right now. She was in a depressed mood, and that probably made her more crabby. Daisy didn't want to make it worse.

"Hi," Snow said cheerfully to Daisy.

"Are you sad?" Daisy whispered.

"About Eclipse?" Snow sighed and dipped her head. "Yeah. I don't know which one I like better... Rain or Eclipse."

_And I'm suspicious of both of them. _"Uh...choose Rain," she said quickly. "He doesn't get jealous of you and Eclipse, and he was your first mate. Eclipse can go..." She hesitated.

Snow grinned. "Thanks, Daisy." She cast one glance at Eclipse before returning to her conversation with Rain.

Silver padded cheerfully next to them. To Daisy's surprise, she darted in between Rain's legs and started biting Eclipse's tail. "Where's my cookie?" she whimpered. "I need a cookie!"

Eclipse bristled and turned on her. "Will you SHUT UP?!"he hissed. "No one cares about your stupid cookie!" He spun around and walked a bit faster.

Silver whimpered. Snow raced over and wrapped her tail protectively over her daughter. "You're right," she whispered to Daisy. "Eclipse's kind of been acting strange lately."

Daisy nodded. Did she share her suspicions like River? Thinking about the Buizel made her shiver, and not because of the cold. Last time they spoke he was acting all weird, talking about water fountains. He also seemed to have pains, for he kept on clutching his head. Daisy began to pad faster once she realized she was falling behind.

"Sorry," she whispered to a Golbat she never met once she bumped into him.

The Golbat glared at her but didn't respond.

Daisy felt uncomfortable around these new rescue teams, so she walked quicker until she was right beside Skye again.

"Look! A meteor!" someone yelled.

Daisy froze. That was Silver. She turned around and looked at the young Poochyena. She was pointing with her paw to a rock poking between two clouds.

Daisy bristled once she saw it. It was heading straight towards them.

"Eclipse! Watch out!" Skye yelled. "I can't lose you, too!"

"What are you talking about?" Daisy hissed. "It's not headed towards him!"

But Skye didn't hear. The rain poured down harder and she fluffed up her fur. Her friend was still running towards Eclipse.

"No!" she screeched. "The dream!"

Daisy's eyes widened. Was this when the mystery Pokemon would be hit by the meteor?

_Oh, no, it can't be now!_

A force knocked into her. Daisy groaned and opened her eyes. "What are you-" A Mightyena was running wildly towards Skye.

"Sorry!" Snow squeaked, but didn't turn around.

Daisy dared to look back at the meteor. She gaped at it and widened her red eyes. It was huge against the sky and it ruffled the trees next to them. The meteor was headed straight toward them.

"Look out!" someone yelled. Silver was following her mother.

"Silver, no!" Rain yelled, chasing after her.

_How many of them are going to try and save Eclipse?_

Skye's words echoed in her head: "I've been having these dreams... It was of a meteor not far from the Guild, in the same rainstorm that's occuring right now. You were in it, with Storm, and you were on patrol because it was a downpour out there. Then the meteor just fell and nearly hit the Guild, but someone was there... I couldn't tell who it was... but they were saving someone else from it, and they ended up dying. The 'someone else' was a Houndoom. I think it was Eclipse. He would've died if...if the other Pokemon didn't save him."

Daisy froze. She wasn't on patrol with Storm, and it wasn't nearly hitting the Guild, but something told her someone was going to die.

Rain pattered harder against her pelt. She shook herself, feeling annoyed that it had to rain at the wrong moment.

Daisy narrowed her eyes to slits as she ran towards Eclipse, determined to push everyone away from the meteor. Why couldn't the stupid Houndoom just run instead of stay there out of shock? No one would've come to rescue him.

There was a screech and a loud clap of thunder. Daisy could've sworn the meteor crashed already, but she wasn't sure. Then she saw it nearing the ground as fast as a shooting star. She froze, expecting it to land right on her head, then sighed and ran again. She was acting like Eclipse now.

"SKYE!" someone yelled.

Daisy skidded to a stop, feeling a body next to her paws. Her fur began to rise.

"The meteor didn't land yet," it whispered, then jumped to its paws. Daisy sighed in relief once she realized Skye was safe.

"But it might kill someone!" she yelled. "Where's Snow and Eclipse?!"

Skye shrugged. "I don't know where Rain and Silver are, either."

Suddenly there was a crash and smoke filled up in Daisy's nostrils.

"Oh no, the meteor landed!" she cried. She imagined Eclipse's broken body crushed by the meteor, and pushed the thought away.

Daisy darted to the meteor, not caring if Skye was following, and skidded to a stop next to it.

What she saw nearly made her pass out.

Instead of Eclipse's broken body, Snow was lying there, half her body crushed by the meteor.

Eclipse was frozen in shock, looming over her, looking like he didn't know what to do with himself.

Rain reached the clearing and jumped next to Snow's side, laying down and starting to cry. "It was too early..." he whispered.

Daisy didn't know what to do, either. Snow didn't deserve to die. She was gentle and kind, and a loving mother who was never rude nor impatient, the exact opposite of Eclipse.

Eclipse's tail went low and he lifted his head. "I'm sorry!" he cried. "I never ment for this to happen!"

"Be ashamed," Silver hissed at Eclipse through her tears.

Daisy slowly padded over to Snow's body and pushed her nose into the cold fur. The rain had slowed into a drizzle and pretty soon it stopped.

She closed her eyes and felt herself drift off.

Sky died. The end.

...

Oops wrong story.

Rain pelted at Sky's head, making her groan with frustration. "When will this ever stop?!" she complained.

Blue had an irritated look. She wrote on her dry erase board: "Once you stop complaining!"

Sky rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault I hate rain!"

"But you complain all the time!" Shade snapped from the other side of her. "It's getting really annoying."

"Mehhh." Sky lifted her arms above her head. "I just don't like rain. It's so freezing out here!"

"Well, stop complaining and let's go," Shade growled.

Sky shot a glance at Flame. She was ignoring them and flying above the ground as if nothing was happening.

Then she stalked forward and huffed. "Why does everyone like rain so much?!"

"Not all of us do!" Shade retorted. "Storm hates it more than you do!"

Sky lashed her tail but didn't respond. That Empoleon was so annoying, just like all the others. Well...most of them.

She stayed next to River's side, noticing his dazed look. She nudged him. "Cheer up. What's wrong?"

River turned and stared at her. "Hi, Sky."

"Is anything wrong?" Sky repeated.

"No, everything's fine." River clutched his head in pain, then winced. "But my head hurts..."

Sky frowned. "How much does it hurt?!"

River looked down at his paws, his eyes growing slightly dark. "Not much..." He paused. "Thanks for caring..."

Sky grinned. "Anytime!" _Anything to cheer you up._

River turned back to the forest, the dazed look returning to his eye.

What was wrong with him?

Her thoughts ended as soon as a giant Charizard flew down from the sky and landed directly in front of Flame "Who's this?" he spat, growling.

Flame gazed at him evenly. "We wish to pass."

The Charizard widened his eyes as if just realizing there was another one of his kind right in front of him. "You may," he growled, not keeping his eyes off of Flame.

Sky was surprised at how quickly the Charizard agreed to let her go. She thought he was the enemy.

Flame seemed surprised, too, but she tried not to show it as she stalked down the path. The Charizard crossed his arms, glaring at the Pokemon following. "So many Pokemon going through my woods," he snarled. "Don't they realize it's my territory?"

Sky glared at him back. "It's not yours, it's ours!" she hissed.

The Charizard opened his mouth and closed it again. His gaze bore into the Pokemons' backs, making Sky want to lunge at him and claw his throat.

She shrank back, horrified that she'd think such a thought. She wasn't evil! Sky tried to block the thought out of her head and padded next to River once more.

River crossed his arms once he saw her, then uncrossed them. He sighed tiredly, looking dazed again. "Hi, Sky."

"Hi, River," Sky replied cheerfully.

River didn't respond for a moment. He glanced at the side of the woods that led to Golden Hills longily, then shook his head and glanced back at Sky. "What's up?"

Sky frowned. _What is his problem? _"The sky," she chuckled.

River laughed, too. "No really though, what's up?"

Sky shrugged. "Just talking to you."

River paused. "Yeah." He suddenly broke down laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sky yelled, but she broke down, too.

Flame skidded to a stop and glared at them. "Pay attention!" she growled. "I get that you like each other, but we need to get a move on!"

Sky's face flushed. River looked like he wanted to punch someone.

Finally, they reached a sparkly lake with a mini waterfall and river. Sky stared at the stepping stones nervously. Last time she was there, she fell into the river.

River sighed. "This is where we lost Moon and Storm..."

"I'm sorry." Sky padded over to him.

River grinned. "How is it your fault? Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

Sky nodded and flashed a smile. "I'd always like to cheer you up, River."

River gazed ahead, a tired and dazed look in his eye that he always wore. Well, he wasn't usually like that. Sky wondered what his problem was.

"Are you okay?" she frowned.

"Yeah. Just...thinking." River hesitated before nodding.

Sky still didn't seem convinced, but nodded anyway.

"Alright, everyone!" Flame's roar made her flinch. "We'll be crossing the stepping stones, so be very careful, and don't fall!"

Sky doubted that she wouldn't fall with the curse that Ninetails gave her. She heaved a sigh and took one step toward the stepping stones. _Arceus help me!_

"Why do you look so scared?" River asked.

Sky shrugged. "It's a long story..."

"Save that for another day." River grinned. "Or when we get there. We're wasting time. Flame's gonna yell at us again."

Sky's face flushed once more. By the time they were done talking, her turn was next. With a gulp, she put one foot on the stone and immediately slipped and fell.


	15. Chapter 14: A Secret Revealed

Daisy woke up hearing the bird Pokemon chirping. She groaned and rolled over, landing straight into a body. Flinching in surprise, she immediantely stood up and glanced at the Mightyena. Her heart sank, recalling what had happened last night. Then she glanced up at the sky. The sky had already cleared up, and stars were twinkling in the dark blue sky. What happened _last afternoon_, she corrected herself.

She sighed, sitting down and looking at her former friend lying peacefully under the meteor. It was like she was asleep.

Then she noticed Skye, Rain, and Eclipse sleeping next to Snow. At the sound of movement, Skye blinked open her eyes and stared at Daisy. Then she glanced at Snow, horrified.

"She's gone," she breathed.

Daisy nodded, dipping her head.

"That all happened too fast. Flame's going to wonder where we are." Skye frowned.

Daisy felt like she was going to cry. "Y-yeah..." she managed to say. She tried not to look at Snow and turned away. Eclipse had turned away from Snow, and in return, she had saved his life. Snow was truly a good friend to have. Rain was lucky.

She looked at the Dewott who was curled up next to his mate, looking like was crying in his sleep. Silver was next to him.

He wasn't lucky anymore.

Daisy turned back to Eclipse, seeing the faint rise and fall of his fur as he slept. He looked like he was crying, too, but the Houndoom deserved it after what he did. She worried he would do something to Rain to make Snow suffer, but she was dead now, so there was no need.

She pushed the thought out of her mind as she watched Eclipse slowly get to his paws. He looked stunned; his eyes filled with grief and confusion.

"What will happen now?" she whispered. "Silver will be nothing without a partner."

"I'll replace her." Daisy flinched at the new sound; she spun around to notice Rain staring at them worriedly. "I'll become member of Team Flash."

"I thought you didn't want to join a rescue team?" Daisy asked.

Rain sighed. "It was Silver's dream to become part of a rescue team," he replied. "I want her to be happy."

Silver was still sleeping gently beside her mother, unaware of the talking going on. She looked peaceful as she shifted a little in her sleep.

Rain started crying again. Daisy looked away.

"We have to keep moving," Eclipse said. He sounded awkward. "We can bring her with."

Rain didn't say anything. Daisy sighed and walked over to Snow.

"Come on," Eclipse growled, sounding more like his old self.

"Do you even care?" Rain snarled. Daisy flinched at his change of personality.

Eclipse glared at him. "Yes, I do care." He put on a smirk. _Why is he smirking?!_

Rain stared at him suspiciously before getting up and walking away.

Eclipse looked at him for a while before turning away and heading forward. Daisy stopped next to the body of Snow and heaved a sigh. Someone else would have to carry her. She padded around Snow and followed Eclipse and Rain quietly.

There was a long silence as the group padded away from Golden Hills andi more into the woods.

Skye sighed as she walked by Daisy's side. "Well, that was unexpected."

Daisy nodded. "It was..."

Skye looked on ahead. Daisy shot a glance at Rain and Silver, who were walking at the back of the group, heads down. She felt a flash of sympanthy for them. Right after Rain and Snow found each other again, Snow had died.

She looked at Eclipse. She did feel bad for him, but Snow loved Rain first, and she doubted Eclipse accepted that. A pang of fear hit her. Would Eclipse try something after Snow's death?

Daisy tried to block out her thoughts. By now they were at the top of the highest hill. She gulped when she stared down. Smoky Woods seemed to last forever. Would they ever get to the training camp?

"Look! Over there!" Eclipse pointed with his tail to a small blue building in the distance. Daisy looked at it in shock. It wasn't as big as the Guild, but it seemed pretty tall.

Eclipse grinned. "We're almost there!"

"The others are probably there already..." Skye sighed.

Eclipse shrugged. "So?"

"So, what?" Rain hissed.

Eclipse glared at Rain. "You don't want to get on my bad side."

Skye and Daisy exchanged a glance. What did the Houndoom mean? Before they could think, Eclipse sprinted faster down the hill. Daisy slid a couple times but managed to grab hold of the grass.

They reached the bottom in enough time to see a group of Pokemon padding over to them from Smoky Woods.

An Eevee stalked towards them with a Munna floating behind her. "Where were you?!" she demanded. "We've been looking all over! The groups already found the training camp, and you're holding back!"

Eclipse glanced at his paws, as if he didn't want to speak up. "We had a little...accident. Sorry, Rin."

Rin tilted her head. "What kind of accident?"

"I think you better look at this." Eclipse sighed. The group parted to let a Chansey pass through. Rin stared in shock as Chansey took Snow off her back.

"She was crushed by the meteor," Eclipse finished.

Rin nodded, stunned. "We saw a meteor not far off and worried if you were okay."

Eclipse sighed. "Well, that's why we're late."

The Munna floated up to them. "Come on," she said. "And hurry up. Flame still doesn't know where you are."

"Okay, Blizzard." Eclipse nodded and sprinted quickly toward the blue building, Skye and Daisy following behind.

"Faster, Rain!" Eclipse snarled. "You too, Silver!"

"Don't be so mean to them!" Skye snapped. "They're grieving."

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "It's not that far!" he yelled.

Rain didn't answer. He picked up the little Poochyena and ran a little quicker, but still kept his head down.

Daisy found herself dipping her head, also, as they skidded to a stop next to the building. Right next to it was a blue sign saying "PIDGEOT'S TRAINING CAMP" in light blue letters. Apparently this Pidgeot liked blue.

Flame was standing there, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "Where were you?" she growled.

Eclipse flashed a glance at Snow. "That."

Flame widened her eyes. "She's dead?"

Eclipse nodded. "Crushed by a meteor." He sounded as if he didn't care.

Flame let out a sigh. "We saw one and wondered if you were okay."

"Sorry for being late, anyway," Eclipse continued. "Stupid meteors."

"That's Darkrai's doing," Rain growled.

Everyone turned around to stare at him.

Rain glared at them back, so they looked away.

"Isn't it a little scary we're right next to Smoky Woods?" Daisy asked.

Flame watched her with her Flame eyes that watched people. "It'll help for searching for Storm and Moon, and on this side of the woods, it's not as dangerous."

Daisy breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried a bunch of Pokemon might come and brutally maul them or something.

"Did you find them?" Daisy asked.

Flame sighed. "What does it look like?"

Daisy's heart sank. Immediately, a Pachirisu and Buizel walked up to her. She recognized River and Sky. For some reason, she felt jealousy rush through her when the two were together.

"Hello, Daisy!" Sky said cheerfully. Daisy spotted something in her eyes, but couldn't figure out what it was.

"Hi, Sky," Daisy replied. She looked at River. "Hello!"

River glanced at her. "Hi, Daisy."

Daisy sighed. For some reason, River wasn't as cheerful as he always was when around her, and she didn't like it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," River growled. "Why?"

Was he lying?"I just wanted to know," Daisy answered quickly. "Sorry for bothering you..."

River flashed a glance at Sky, then looked back at Daisy. "No... It's not your fault. I'm just not in a good mood."

"You're usually always in a good mood!" Daisy said.

"Not today." River stared at his paws.

Sky patted him on the back. "I noticed he was acting a little different on the way to the training camp," she pointed out. "I hope he's okay." Something flashed through her eyes that made Daisy want to punch her in the face.

_She's my best friend! Why am I thinking all this bad stuff?! _Daisy let out a sigh. "I noticed, too."

River narrowed his eyes.

"Where's Blue?" Daisy asked, trying to ignore his change of personality.

Sky grinned. Immediately a Minun came out from behind her. Blue waved at Daisy.

"Hello!" Daisy said to her.

Blue smiled. She looked as if she was about to say something.

River turned to the three. "I'm going to go now," he said, then turned and ran back to his team. Daisy wondered what was wrong with him.

"I don't know what's up with him today," Daisy told Sky. For some reason she didn't want to talk to her friend right now.

Sky nodded. "He seems strange."

Blue opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"What?" Daisy growled, looking at the Minun. "You can tal- I mean, write what you're gonna say."

Blue sighed and walked up to them until she was standing beside Sky. She wrote on her erase board, "There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" Daisy asked.

Blue looked up at her with her mysterious eyes that looked at everyone mysteriously. "I can talk." Her voice was hoarse.

"WHAT?" Sky snarled. Daisy was surprised at how mean she looked.

Blue nodded. "There's something else I have to tell you."

Daisy could barely hear her. "What is it?" she growled.

Sky crossed her arms, huffing. "Why'd you lie to us?!"

Blue dipped her head. "I was always the outcast when I used to live with my family. Finally, I decided to change my name and everything about me, and start a new life. I figured if I told everyone I was mute, they'd treat me better."

"You don't trust me?" Sky looked hurt. "I would always be your friend, Blue, mute or not. In fact, I was a little pissed being with a mute Pokemon."

"I do trust you! That's not what I mean!" Blue yelled. Heads turned around to stare at them.

"No, you don't!" Sky shouted back. "I thought we were friends! I guess I've just been living a lie!"

"Sky, wait!" Blue called to her, but she was already gone. Daisy felt a flash of jealousy when she padded to River's side.

Blue sighed. "Now everyone knows I'm not mute..."

Daisy nodded her head. "It's okay, Blue. I trust you. I don't know what's up with Sky."

Blue turned away. "Now everyone won't trust me." She let out a sigh.

"Why'd you tell us anyway?" Daisy asked.

"I felt it was the right time," Blue told her. "But there's something else I have to tell you, before Sky interrupted me."

Daisy tilted her head. "What is it?"

"I'm from the human world," she breathed out.

Daisy felt her fur bristle. "You're a human?!"

Blue shook her head. "I'm a Pokemon from the human world."

"But my human world doesn't have any Pokemon," Daisy pointed out, confused.

Blue nodded. "Exactly. It's in a different dimension."

"Dimension?" Daisy asked.

Blue nodded again. "There are three different dimensions: the human world, Pokemon world, and the human and Pokemon world. I was a Pokemon from that world. I don't know how I got here. Same as you, probably." She shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Daisy asked.

"You never asked," Blue answered. Then she frowned. "It just wasn't the right time."

"It might be useful information," Sky growled, walking up to them. "Is this just another reason why you don't trust me?"

"I do trust you!" Blue protested, but Sky had turned away, huffing.

"Apparently not enough."

Daisy looked at them with a sigh, and she dipped her head.

Eclipse walked to them angrily. "First Snow's death, and now a secret? What in the name of Arceus is going on?"

"It's not Arceus!" Rain shouted. "It's Darkrai!"

Heads shot up to look at him. He just glared at them once more.

"Well..." Eclipse glared at Blue. "Flame already knows. She'll give you a punishment for sure."

Blue dipped her head.

Daisy glared at Eclipse. "A punishment?! She kept the secret because she just wanted to be noticed!"

Eclipse stared at her, surprised at her sudden shouting.

Daisy continued to glare at him. "Flame is not that bad, and you know it!"

The Charizard padded up to the three and sighed. "She's right. Blue just wanted to be noticed." She shot a glance at Eclipse. "She will recieve no punishment. It's a surprise we figured out she wasn't mute, but no one deserves a punishment for this kind of secret."

"What about being a Pokemon from the human world?" Eclipse growled.

Flame stared at Blue. "That..." She paused. "It's good information, but no one deserves a punishment just for that. Remember, no one knew you were a human until you told Daisy a while ago."

Eclipse sighed. "I guess you're right." He glared at Blue. "If I was leader, I'd give you a proper punishment for sure," he whispered.

Blue stared at him, stunned.

Flame ended up not hearing. She walked away to talk to the Pidgeot that had ran out the door.

Daisy looked around to try and find Sky, and she saw her talking to River. The Pachirisu seemed to be a little too close to her friend, and Daisy scowled.

She decided to walk over to them. "Hi, River," she said, not breaking away from Sky's gaze.

"Hello," River said. His expression was unreadable.

"What are you doing?" Sky hissed. "I'm talking to him now!"

Daisy glared at her. "You always do!"

"_You _always do!" Sky growled.

Daisy expected she was just angry because of Blue, and she turned away.

"Sorry about her. She's in a bad mood," River pointed out.

"Like you are." Daisy sighed.

River narrowed his eyes, then put them back to normal. "Yeah..."

Daisy looked at him. His expression was still unreadable. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Yes!" River snapped. "Why does everyone keep on asking that?"

"Sorry..." Daisy trailed off. She wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but something was up. She missed the old River.

River turned back to her. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act up." He looked away. "I'm just surprised about Snow's death, that's all."

Daisy narrowed her eyes. Was he telling the truth?

Sky looked at him and grinned. "It's okay, River!"

Daisy sighed and glanced at her paws. Sky didn't usually care about their friendship, but now she was all jealous whenever Daisy tried to talk to River.

River looked up at the sky. "I'm gonna go back to my team now," he said, then scurried off.

Daisy quickly ran off before Sky could argue with her, and found herself next to Silver. She wrapped her tail around the little Poochyena, trying to comfort her as she sobbed.

"It's alright," she said.

Silver didn't answer. She kept her gaze to the ground. "It's not fair!" she cried after an awkward silence. "Snow didn't deserve to die!"

Daisy dipped her head. "I know."

"ATTENTION GUILD MEMBERS!" A voice made Daisy flinch. It was coming from Flame. "You may now enter Pidgeot's Training Camp!" she roared.

Everyone started to push each other to reach the entrance, and Daisy kept being pushed until she was next to Blue. She could not spot Sky anywhere. Usually, the two would be together.

Blue's head was down as they burst through the doors.

Daisy stared in shock at the huge room. On one side was a gray elevator, and on the other there was a bunch of brown tables with food on them. Rescue teams were eating there, and their heads all turned around to stare at the Guild members.

"What's going on here?" a Sneasel called.

"Flame's Guild has been bombed, so they have to stay here until it can be fixed," Pidgeot explained.

The Sneasel glared at the rescue teams as if they were a threat. He crossed his arms, pouting. "They can find their own home!"

Pidgeot gave him a long look. "This the only place they can go, Swift."

Swift rolled his eyes, not keeping his eyes off of the Guild members.

Daisy looked around cautiously, wary of the strangers. She looked back at the table. Thousands of eyes were turned in their direction.

"There's a lot of rescue teams," Blue whispered.

Daisy nodded silently. "Where will we sleep?"

"Maybe with them." Blue sounded uncomfortable, as if she didn't want to sleep with strangers. Daisy couldn't blame her.

Swift, the Sneasel, turned to talk with his friends. Daisy felt annoyed as the Training Camp members laughed together. It was obvious they were talking about the new Pokemon.

"Well," Swift huffed, crossing his arms as he turned back to Pidgeot. "They're aloud to come, but don't expect them to sleep in _my _room."

Pidgeot narrowed her eyes. "You're not always the boss, Swift." She turned to Flame. "Sorry about him. He has a bad attitude. He probably got that from his partner, Haunter."

Flame chuckled. "We have a few like him, too. You're not the only one."

Pidgeot smiled and looked back at her rescue teams. "If I hear any one of you talking behind the Guild members' backs, you'll have to deal with me." Her tone sounded a little harsh. Maybe Pidgeot's Training Camp wasn't as nice as the Guild was.

Swift glared at her as she turned back around for another never-ending conversation with Flame, making sure she wasn't looking. Daisy couldn't help but laugh.

"I hope I don't have to sleep in Swift's room," Blue said. "I don't even want to sleep with Sky. I'm worried about her."

"She sounded a little rude," Daisy growled. "If I was your partner, I wouldn't be like that."

Blue sighed. "I wish you were my partner."

Daisy stared at her in shock. Did she really just say that? What did the Minun think about Sky?

"Attention, Guild members!" Fire burst from Flame's nostrils, making everyone turn to look at her. "Ever since the explosion, we've been held back on saving the Pokemon, so I would like Team Vine and Team Meteor to come up here."

Rin, the Eevee Daisy saw earlier, padded up to Flame with Blizzard floating beside her. Tackle bounced up to his leader, Night following sleepily behind him. _They're complete opposites. How could Flame put them in a rescue team together?_

Flame smiled at Team Meteor. "You two will search for Storm and Moon in Smoky Woods, and also that Emolga Team Waterfall was supposed to rescue." A pang of sadness stabbed Daisy like a thorn as she thought about her rescue team partner.

Rin dipped her head. "We'd be honored to."

Blizzard grinned cheerfully. "Finally! After not going out for so long! I'm going to whoop some Raichu butt!"

Flame ignored her enthusiam as she turned to Team Vine. "There's been a problem on Ice Mountain, and you have to rescue a frozen Crobat who was mauled by a pack of Abamasnows."

Tackle's eyes widened as huge as moons. "Ice Mountain? I've always wanted to go there!"

"That's why I decided you two should take on the mission." Flame nodded.

Daisy tried to read Night's expression, but it was unreadable. She watched as more fire burst from Flame's nostrils.

"These two teams may leave now," she roared. "You may say your goodbyes and then start your mission."

Daisy watched as Tackle immediately ran through the crowd. She looked around for Blue, but saw no sign of the Minun. She must've gone to say goodbye to the two rescue teams.

"Hey, you!" a voice called from behind Daisy. She flinched and spun around, noticing a Flareon right in front of her. "Aren't you Storm's partner? Daisy, right?"

"Yes," Daisy growled.

The Flareon sat down. "My name's Kasai."

Daisy looked at her. "How'd you find my name?"

"From Sky. She spoke a little badly about you."

Daisy pricked her ears, anger flashing in her eyes. "What'd she say?"

Kasai shrugged. "Not much. She said you spent too much time with River and you were rude. You don't seem rude."

"How am I rude? And I don't-"

Sky stalked up to them, an angry expression on her face. "Blue's too busy chatting with Tackle to notice me. I should've known she would hate me. Anyways, Kasai, I heard my name and wondered what you two were talking about."

Kasai flashed a worried look at Daisy.

"Oh...nothing," Daisy stuttered.

Sky raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she spat. "You were talking about me, weren't you?"

"No, we weren't!" Daisy leaped to her paws. "Kasai just said you think I spend too much time with River, that's all!"

Sky glared at her. "Leave the two of us alone, okay? I mean... I want us to be friends, but you're getting in the way of us."

Daisy felt her fur prickle. "No, I'm not! He's a good friend! You can talk to him. It's just..." She trailed off.

"What?" Sky snapped.

"Oh, nothing," Daisy retorted, stalking off. While she was walking she passed Blue and Tackle, who seemed really caught up in a conversation. Daisy halted and perked her ears.

"I'll miss you," Blue was saying. She seemed nervous.

Tackle grinned cheerfully. "I'll be fine! I can't wait to explore Ice Mountain! I just wish someone else besides Night was with me!"

Blue smiled. "I wish me and Sky were coming with you."

Tackle frowned, then immediately returned the smile he usually wore. "I do, too, but maybe we will be together someday!"

Daisy walked away before they could notice her, feeling a little awkward that the two were speaking. She never noticed them together before.

"That's enough talking!" Flame spoke loudly. Immediately the room silenced itself as she towered above the rescue teams. "The teams will leave now! Your goodbyes have been said."

Daisy couldn't help but glance at Blue and Tackle. Tackle was giving her a longing look once Blue looked away from him. She grinned.

"Goodbye," Tackle said, then scurried off to Night's side.

Daisy glanced around. There was no sign of Team Meteor, so that meant they must've already left.

"Good luck!" Sky called to Team Vine as they left. Daisy thought she heard her whisper "You'll need it." Maybe it was just her imagination. Was Ice Mountain as bad as Smoky Woods?

She looked at the table where the Training Camp members were talking. Swift was still laughing with his friends. Daisy narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the sound of him. He did have a bad attitude.

The Sneasel caught her eye and gave her the middle finger. He broke down laughing, along with his Haunter friend. Daisy couldn't help cracking a smile, then turned away to bump into Blue. She was staring dreamily at the door.

"What are you doing?" Daisy asked.

Blue spun around and gasped. "Sorry!" she stuttered. "I-I guess I was just thinking too much."

Daisy tilted her head. She pointed to the door with her paw, and tried to act in love.

Blue's face flushed. "Oh, shut up!" Clearly she knew what she was talking about.

Daisy giggled. "I heard you two talking!"

"I just said goodbye," Blue snapped. "I would've done the same to anyone."

"Then why didn't you say it to Team Meteor?" Daisy questioned.

"I did!" Blue retorted. "You probably weren't looking."

Daisy turned back to the door. Tackle didn't seem surprised when Blue actually _talked _to him. Were they always around each other, and Daisy just didn't notice?

Blue sighed. "Ice Mountain is a dangerous place."

"You would say that," Daisy teased gently. Blue looked at her with a warning look in her eyes, but it was also playful.

"I wonder what we're supposed to do now!" Blue said loudly. She yawned a little. By then Daisy noticed how tired she was. Her eyes drooped a little.

Flame roared, silencing the rescue teams again. Swift groaned at having to be quiet. A couple of his friends stared at him worriedly, as if they didn't want him getting in trouble.

"I notice some of you look a little tired, and I can't blame you. It's time to get a good night's sleep. And Pidgeot says that dinner for the Training Camp members is now over. I will assign each of you a room."

Swift groaned once more. "I wasn't finished eating!"

"Well, that's too bad!" Pidgeot snapped. "At least you did eat."

"I'm not tired!" Swift complained.

Pidgeot gave him a death glare, which seemed to freak out the Sneasel. He hid behind his Haunter friend.

"Team Darkness!" Flame called out. Eclipse and Skye came out of their place next to the table, and hurried over to Flame's side.

Daisy sighed, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. It seemed that all the teams had been called. Her turn was probably next.

"Team Darkened Thunder and Team Planet!" Flame called out.

_Finally! _Daisy walked toward her, too tired to run, and halted next to the Charizard's feet.

"You will be on Floor 13 with Training Camp rescue team Team Claw, and with Guild rescue team Team Planet," Flame announced.

"Okay!" Daisy said cheerfully, immediately heading to the elevator, Kasai and her partner, Chansey, following.

She pressed button thirteen as she entered, and the elevator lifted at horrifying speed. Daisy gasped, clinging on to the floor with widened eyes. The elevator stopped and opened to a huge room with a bed on one side and a desk on the other.

"That was fast!" Daisy hissed.

Kasai stepped out first. "That scared the dung out of me!" she explained.

Daisy looked around. "Where's Team Claw?"

Chansey, from Daisy's other side, shrugged. "They-"

A Sneasel came out from under the bed and lunged for Kasai. The Flareon gasped as he clawed her face. "This is our room!" he snapped.

Kasai ducked. "It's not our fault we were assigned to be here!" she growled.

Daisy's heart sank. They had to share a room with Swift?

"You'll sleep on the floor," Swift announced proudly.

"Oh, shut up!" Chansey glared at him.

Swift crossed his arms. "Pidgeot's Training Camp is better than the Guild any day!"

"Prove it!" Chansey challenged.

"Okay, stop!" Daisy hissed. "Just go to bed, okay?" She plopped down on the carpet.

"No need to be so mean," Swift said with a smirk.

"We're sleeping on the bed and you can't stop us!" Chansey shouted.

Swift uncrossed his arms, his claws suddenly looking sharper. "Try me."

Feeling too tired to move, Daisy let Kasai jump in between the two. "Stop!" she yelled. "Now is no time to fight! We have to get up early tomorrow, you know!"

Swift rolled his eyes. "It was only dinner when we had to go to our rooms! I swear, Pokemon these days..." He jumped on his bed, rolling over. "If you still want to fight me, you can try." He smirked again. "I always win battles."

Kasai narrowed her eyes to slits. "You need to change your attitude."

"ARCEUS!" Daisy snarled. "LET ME FALL ASLEEP ALREADY!"

Kasai and Chansey exchanged a glance, and Swift gave her the middle finger.

"Will you stop with that?" Daisy groaned.

"Whatever," Swift replied, stretching and sinking under the covers. "You can be uncomfortable on the floor," he added, "while the rest of us get a good night sleep."

Kasai and Chansey gave him the death glare, but it didn't seem to work as much as Pidgeot's glare did. Swift just shrugged and closed his eyes.

"I could sleep for years!" Daisy complained.

"No one cares!" Swift yelled. His voice was muffled from the blankets.

After that, there was an awkward silence. Daisy felt herself drifting off. Her breathing slowed a little.

There was a thump next to Daisy's ear that made her snap open her eyes.

"Arceus!" she whispered angrily, too tired to shout. "Would you please stop?"

Swift's voice sounded. "Sorry, just a spider trying to get in your ear."

Daisy didn't feel anything, and she was pretty sure spiders didn't exist in the Pokemon world. He was probably just messing with her. _But wait, how does he-_

"Holy crap!" Swift shouted. "There's a bunch of spiders on the floor!"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Shut up and let me sleep!"

Swift yelled, "Watch out!"

Daisy stiffened but didn't move.

Swift didn't say anything after that, so she guessed he fell asleep. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to drift off, but found she couldn't.

It was darkness. A shape moved in the pitch black room, twitching his tail from side to side. "You have to find a way to get rid of her."

Another voice, a voice that sounded slightly more evil than the other one, spoke. "I know."

The Pokemon growled. "What are you thinking of doing?"

His friend shrugged. "I'm still thinking about it."

"You have to think of a reason now!"

"Don't yell," the other Pokemon snapped. "There's still time. Surely she wouldn't try to do...it? I can't say it or it would make me throw up."

The stranger lifted his head. "Me, too. But there isn't enough time. You must hurry."

She dipped her head. "I will. Pretty soon she will die."

"There's still more of them," the stranger spat. "You must destroy them all."

"I will find of a way." Her eyes darkened. "With you helping me, of course."

The Pokemon grinned. "We will find more recruits. For now, it's just you and me."

She looked around. "We have to go back to our rooms before someone catches us, you know."

The stranger rolled his eyes. "Everyone's asleep."

The other stranger rubbed her hands together. "Once I destroy her little friend, the world will be ours to keep."

The stranger narrowed his eyes. "Good thinking. She is the enemy."

"She is the enemy," the other one repeated.

"There is five of them, though," the first Pokemon warned. "You must defeat them all."

The second Pokemon smirked. "One of them is already caught in a trap, it looks like. Don't worry, it won't be too hard."

"I already have someone I plan on joining us," the first one announced. "It might not be too hard to convince him."

"Yes." The second one dipped her head, not asking on what he was talking about. "Should we leave now?"

The first stranger cast a worried glance at the clock. 1:38 AM.

"We have plenty of time to discuss our plans," he growled. "The Human World will fall, and all will be destroyed."

The second stranger narrowed her eyes to slits. "We will discuss more tomorrow, when I bring my boyfriend to talk to us."

The first stranger smirked. "Oh, him?"

She nodded. "I will easily convince him to come." She turned to the elevator. "I must leave now. I'm getting worried if some Pokemon catches us."

The first stranger rolled his eyes. "It's 1:40 in the morning, stupid. If not sleeping, they're trying to."

She turned back to look at him. "So? You must be careful in case someone catches us. That could ruin our plan."

He bared his teeth. "If anyone catches us, I'll kill them."

His friend looked worried. "What if it's too strong?"

He thought for a moment. "Oh, alright. But we will discuss this tomorrow night, too, so don't forget to bring your 'boyfriend' with."

She smirked. "Whatever you say." Then she opened the elevator and the two padded in.

All went silent.


	16. Chapter 15: Pidgeot's Training Camp

Daisy woke with a start. She looked around. This wasn't Floor 18. Then she remembered yesterday and what had happened. Sighing, she leaped to her paws, surprised that she actually got some sleep yesterday. Swift kept on keeping her awake.

Her stomach growled immediately. It seemed that Kasai and Chansey were still sleeping, but Swift was nowhere to be seen. He probably went to floor one already. Walking slowly over to the elevator, she pressed button one and watched as it went down really fast. She gripped the floor tightly with her paws and gritted her teeth. This must've been faster than the speed of light.

Finally, it skidded to a stop and opened to reveal a purple room. Small brown tables were dotted almost everywhere, but they were empty. Only two Pokemon were sitting there, Flame and Pidgeot.

"Hi, Daisy!" Flame called. "You're up early."

"Strange, right?" Daisy stretched and yawned. "I couldn't fall asleep last night."

Flame chuckled. "You know you can go back to sleep, right?"

Daisy sighed. "I can't fall back asleep for some reason."

"That happens sometimes," Flame roared. "It's six in the morning. Breakfast doesn't start for another thirty minutes."

"What should I do, then?" Daisy asked.

"You could try to back to sleep," Flame said, "or be assigned one of the missions."

Daisy looked worriedly at the door. "Too tired for that."

Flame frowned. "Ice Mountain is pretty close by; it's in the middle of Smoky Woods. Team Vine should be back by now."

Daisy looked at her. "Maybe they had to fall asleep, or they're fighting the Abamasnows right now."

"True," said Flame. "But I doubt it. What if they became frozen, too?"

Daisy shrugged. "Do what you want. But I wouldn't want to send a search party this early."

"Not now," Flame replied. "If they're not back by late afternoon, you and Team Sun will have to go search for them."

Daisy's fur prickled. "Don't you know I'm not that good of a friend with Sky anymore?"

Flame seemed surprised. "Why not?"

"Well, we got in a fight..." She trailed off. "But me and Blue are still good friends."

Flame smiled. "Then I bet you two will get along perfectly."

"Team Meteor isn't back yet," Daisy pointed out.

Flame nodded. "Smoky Woods is one scary place. They're probably heading back now."

Daisy wondered why she wasn't as worried of Team Meteor as she was of Team Vine. Was it because Team Meteor was more experienced?

Suddenly the elevator opened. Daisy froze, then turned around to notice a Tentacool come out. "Who in the name of Arceus is she?"

"She's Daisy," Flame growled. "She's a Guild member."

Daisy gave Flame a glare, then looked at the Tentacool.

"I'm Neptune," he spat, then turned away.

A Wooper and Azumarill came out after him, each staring at Daisy as if she were a threat.

The Azumarill stared at Daisy. "I'm Bounce, and this is Mars, my rescue team partner," she said cheerfully. "Don't pay any attention to Neptune. He's an idiot."

"Cool!" Daisy said.

"Our team name is Team Water. We just turned Silver Rank two days ago~!"

Daisy liked this Pokémon's personality. "I have a rescue team with this Jolteon named Storm, and we have one called Team Darkened Thunder."

"I like that name. It fits perfectly~!" Bounce sang.

Daisy smiled.

"Where is Storm anyway?" Bounce asked.

Daisy glanced at her paws. "Missing..."

Bounce frowned. "I'm sorry!"

"It's not your fault. He's somewhere in Smoky Woods, and some of the rescue teams are out searching for him."

"Oh, okay!" Bounce grinned once more. "Smoky Woods is a scary place. I heard an Umbreon died there once."

Daisy's fur prickled. Was she talking about Star?

"Well, enough with the talking! You have to meet Mars!" Bounce announced. "Come on!"

Mars was staring at them from the corner. He blushed when they came over and looked at his paws.

"He's always like that," Bounce giggled. "Don't mind him."

"Every girl is pretty to him?" Daisy asked.

Bounce broke down laughing, while Mars' face flushed and he backed away.

"Come on!" Bounce shouted. "Don't be shy! Talk to Daisy!"

Mars looked up at Daisy, not meeting her eyes. "Hi."

"Hello," Daisy said.

Mars began to walk away, but Bounce pushed him until he was face to face with Daisy. Mars blushed again.

"Okay, that is getting really old," Daisy growled.

Bounce laughed. "You get used to it."

Daisy shrugged. "Hey, get him away from me. He's freaking me out."

"He tends to do that," Bounce said as she pushed Mars away. The Wooper responded by running straight next to Neptune. Neptune scowled when he saw them.

"That blushing freaked me out when I first met him, then I got used to it!" Bounce said cheerfully. "You probably will, too."

"Hopefully," Daisy muttered under her breath. The elevator opened again and a Pachirisu and Minun walked out. Daisy recognized the faces of Sky and Blue.

Daisy ran over to them, now getting a little more cheerful. "Hello, guys!"

"Hello!" Blue said.

"Hi," Sky grumbled.

Daisy sighed. "Why are you always so mad?"

"I'm not!" Sky snapped. "It's just with Blue not being mute," she spat out the word, "and you always talking to River-"

"Will you quit with that!" Daisy yelled. "You're the one who always talks to River!"

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Blue shouted. She stepped in front of Sky, glaring at her former friend.

Sky glared at her back, giving her a you're-going-to-regret-that look. Daisy shuddered at how rude she looked.

"I just wanted to stop it," Blue whispered.

Sky rolled her eyes. "Well, River's mine, so you better stay away from him," she snapped, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air.

"Do you like River?" whispered Blue.

"As a friend," Daisy snapped. "I just don't like how Sky gets all jealous whenever I try to talk to River. Not that I'm jealous, but it irritates me."

Blue sighed. "I understand that."

The elevator opened again; River, Shade, and Blast stepped out.

River immediately walked over to them, standing next to Sky and Daisy. "Hi!" he said.

"Hello, River~!" Sky replied cheerfully.

"Hello!" Daisy grinned, trying not to show her irritation to Sky.

River glanced at them both, shooting awkward glances in either direction. "I had a note in my room saying you needed me," he said, pointing to Sky.

Sky nodded. She shot a glance at Daisy. "This is private, so don't even think about it," she spat.

Daisy glanced sadly after them as the two headed off together in the corner.

Blue frowned. "That was a little rude of her."

Daisy nodded. "We used to be friends. What happened?"

"She thinks you're stealing River from her," Blue growled. "I don't know why she changed all of a sudden."

Daisy stared back at Sky and River. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but River looked a little worried.

Daisy wondered when they would stop talking. She turned her face away. She wondered when they would stop talking. _Man... I wonder when they'll stop talking,_ she thought while wondering when they'd stop talking.

Blue looked away. She crossed her arms. "She's so rude."

"Yeah." Daisy scowled.

The elevator opened again, revealing Skye and Eclipse. Daisy walked up to Skye. "Hello!" she said cheerfully.

"Hi," Skye said.

Eclipse immediately yawned. Daisy looked over at him. His tail was dragging on the ground and his eyes drooped.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked, stunned.

Eclipse shook his head. "Some stupid Pokemon from the bottom floor kept on talking."

"I didn't hear anything," Skye said.

"Maybe I have good hearing," Eclipse snapped. He turned to Sky and River. "I'll be right back."

Daisy watched him leave. "What was that all about?"

Skye shrugged. "Apparently he wants to talk to them."

Daisy had the slight suspicion that he might be up to something, but pushed the thought away. Sighing, she looked over at Blue, but then the breakfast bell rang.

The elevator opened again; Swift, Kasai, Haunter, and Chansey walked out.

Daisy ran over to them. "Where were you?" she demanded.

"Sleeping." Kasai yawned.

"Why weren't you in the room when I woke up?" Daisy asked Swift.

Swift shrugged. "I was bored so I took a walk outside." He stretched. "I got to see Smoky Woods and everything~!"

"That isn't fun," Daisy growled. "Why would you want to see Smoky Woods?"

"Why would you _not _want to see Smoky Woods?" Swift retorted. "It's awesome!"

"Well, you're annoying!" Daisy argued.

Swift rolled his eyes. "Everyone calls me that, and I enjoy it." He grinned. "Anyway, let's get ready for breakfast!"

Daisy walked over to the table, sitting on a table. It didn't have cushions like the Guild did, and the chairs were pretty uncomfortable. She sighed, looking at the chicken in front of her. Yum.

Blue and Kasai were on the other side of her, with Swift across of her and Kasai by Chansey. Sky and River were sitting at a different table by themselves, talking to each other and laughing. Daisy scowled.

"Jealous?" Swift grinned.

"Shut up," Daisy snapped. "This doesn't involve you."

"She just doesn't like how River spends so much time with Sky!" Blue defended her friend.

Daisy shot her a grateful look. "Yeah."

Swift crossed his arms. "Yeah, right." He chuckled, taking a bite of the chicken. "Ish tashy!" he yelled in between chewing.

Daisy and Blue laughed. "I don't like anyone who chews with their mouth open," Daisy growled.

Swift cracked a smile. "Hulllo!"

"Stop!"

"No!"

"That's enough!" Blue yelled, which made everyone turn around to look at them. "Swift, just stop."

Swift frowned sadly. "But ish fun!"

"Not for us," Blue growled.

Swift licked the chicken, which made Daisy want to throw up. "Let's go to a different table," she told Blue.

"As far away from Sky as we can get," Blue snapped.

Daisy nodded, flashing one last glance at the two. Sky was blushing and River was smiling. Her eyes flashed with annoyance. _I'm not jealous._

Blue led her to a table next to Skye. The Ninetails greeted them by waving her tail happily. "Why did you move?" she asked.

"Swift was annoying us," Daisy growled.

Skye laughed. "I thought so."

Blue sat down. She stared at her chicken. She stared at her chicken. She stared at her chicken. She took a bite out of her chicken. She took another bite out of her chicken.

Daisy ate a piece of her chicken. "I am bored."

"I think Flame's going to send a search party for Team Vine in the afternoon," Skye said. "You might be coming with. For Arceus' sake, she needs to stop worrying about rescue teams from Smoky Woods and Ice Mountain. It's annoying."

Daisy picked at her chicken. "Yeah. I'm full."

"That was random," Blue replied. She sighed. "Me, too."

Skye stared at them. "Breakfast is almost over~!" she said cheerfully.

Daisy grinned. "Hopefully." She stared at the clock. It was 7:50. Breakfast would end in ten minutes. Wow.

Skye jumped down from her chair. "I'm going to ask Flame when she's going to send a search party. To me that's a pretty stupid idea, but it's nice to know."

Daisy nodded. "Team Vine is bronze rank. They don't need help."

Skye walked away, her legs walking.

The breakfast bell rang, scaring the dung out of Daisy. She flinched and landed on the floor. Blue chuckled beside her.

"Shut up!" Daisy told her.

Blue got out of her chair and stared at something. She stared at the wall. "I'm going to see what Sky was talking to River about."

"I'd like to know, too," Daisy growled.

Sky was still talking to River at the table. She scowled as they came by. "What do you want?"

"We just want to know what you were talking about to River, that's all," answered Daisy.

Sky narrowed her eyes. "And why does that involve you?"

"She's right," River pointed out. "It's just between us." He glanced at Daisy. "Sorry."

Daisy turned her face away. "Whatever."

Blue glanced sadly at Sky. Sky didn't seem to meet Blue's eyes. She was staring at Daisy, angry.

"What?" Daisy snapped, trying to keep her face away from River.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Sky yelled. Everyone's heads turned in their direction. Sky just glared at them.

"Get over it," River growled. "We're just friends. We like to talk."

Daisy glanced at River. "This is between us," she snapped. Then she stopped. _Why did I just act so rude to him? I'm not like that..._

River looked away, hurt.

_Great... Now I feel bad..._

"You just hurt his feelings!" Sky growled. "Leave us alone!"

Blue stalked away. "Come on, Daisy. We don't need them." She cast one last sad glance at Sky. "Goodbye," she whispered.

Daisy forced a glance at River. He was staring at his paws. Sky didn't give her enough time to apologize as she got up and ran over to the two. "What are you waiting for?" She gritted her teeth.

"Come on," Blue said, worried. "They're not worth it."

"What did you just say?" Sky whipped around to face Blue.

Fear flashed through Blue's eyes.

Daisy stepped protectively in front of Blue. "Leave her alone!" she snarled.

Sky took a step toward Blue. "I want to know what she said," she hissed through gritted teeth.

Blue backed away.

"Scared, huh?" Sky smirked.

_Did she just smirk? No way..._

"O-okay, I am!" Blue stuttered.

"Leave us alone!" Daisy spat.

Sky never kept her eyes off of Blue. "What did you say?" she demanded.

"I said nothing!" Blue defended herself.

With a hiss, Sky lunged herself at the Minun. Daisy watched, horrified, before River came in the middle of them.

"Stop!" he yelled, facing Sky.

"Why'd you do that?" Sky demanded, hurt flashing through her eyes.

"I-I don't want a fight," River said, worried.

Daisy hoped no one was watching them. "I thought you'd defend Sky," she growled.

"I would," River said quickly, "but I don't want her attacking Blue."

Sky narrowed her eyes. "I hate Blue. She hates me."

"But you tried to kill her!" River said.

"Don't you like killing?" Sky asked, tilting her head, confusion in her eyes.

"Who said I did?" River asked, widening his eyes.

Sky looked stunned. "B-but-"

"You like killing?!" Daisy turned to Sky.

Sky narrowed her eyes at Daisy. "You better hope no one is watching us," she growled.

_That wasn't a no._

"Enough!" River growled. "Sky... Just leave Blue alone. If there are no fights...I'd be fine with that."

Sky looked up at River, something in her eyes. "I would always want to make you happy, River," she said.

Daisy's fur prickled with anger.

River grinned. "Let's go," he said. He shot a glance over his shoulder at Daisy and Blue, then walked back to the table.

Daisy just hoped no one saw them.

Immediately, Flame turned to walk in their direction. Daisy's heart sank. Of course she had to be the one to see them.

"What's going on here?" the Charizard demanded.

"Blue and Sky just got in a little fight," Daisy replied, worry in her eyes.

Flame frowned. "You shouldn't make the fights physical, Sky," she called.

Sky gave Flame a thumbs up and grinned. "I won't do it anymore! Sorry!"

_Faker._

Flame returned the smile, and then turned back to Daisy. "I'll have to watch them from now on," she said with a sigh. "And make sure they don't get into any fights."

Daisy nodded. "Me, too." Her heart pounded with worry on what Sky would do if Blue ever tried to talk to her again.

"I'm going to send a search party to go search for Team Vine, by the way," Flame continued. "It'll be in a couple hours."

"Didn't they just leave yesterday?" Daisy asked.

Flame shrugged. "Ice Mountain is a scary place; it's just like Smoky Woods. But Team Meteor is more experienced. Team Vine wasn't Bronze Rank for long, and after this mission, Team Meteor will be upgraded to Silver Rank."

Daisy was confused about all this information. "Okay, then."

Flame smiled. "I'll talk to you in a couple hours." She walked off to a table next to Pidgeot.

Daisy pricked her ears, hearing movement outside the doors. Immediately the door opened, revealing an Eevee and Munna. Team Meteor were back.

"Back already?" Flame seemed surprised.

Rin dipped her head. "We found Storm, but Moon was nowhere to be found. We- we think she might be gone."

Flame frowned. "Did you find that Emolga?"

Rin shook her head. "She's probably dead by now. But here's Storm." She lightly pushed a Jolteon off her back and onto the floor. He was breathing, and his eyes were half open. He groaned.

"Storm!" Daisy ran over to her partner, eyes lighting up.

Storm sat up, staring at Daisy with squinted eyes. "D-Daisy?" He looked around, shaking his head. "Where am I?"

"This is Pidgeot's Training Camp." Daisy was just happy he didn't lose his memory. "We had to move after the Guild caught on fire, remember?"

Storm stood up, shaking himself. "Right."

Flame stalked over to them. "Glad to have you back!" She smiled.

Storm looked over at Flame. "Where's Exploud? Isn't he always with you?"

Flame dipped her head. "He's...missing. We can't find him."

"He's probably still alive," Daisy tried to reassure the Charizard, but she couldn't even reassure herself. Exploud was probably dead.

Rin frowned. "I'm not sure. The bomb was on Floor 17, where Exploud and Team Wonder previously were."

Daisy's heart pounded with sadness at the mention of Moon, but she was also happy that Storm was back and she wouldn't have to leave Team Darkened Thunder.

Storm shook his fur, making him look like a ball of fluff. He padded up to Daisy and sat down. "So this is Pidgeot's Training Camp, huh?"

Daisy nodded. "It's smaller than the Guild, but it seems good enough, right?"

Storm shrugged. "I guess."

"Attention Guild members!" Flame roared, spitting out a burst of flame. "We will now bury the body of Snow outside Pidgeot's Training Camp."

Storm widened his eyes. "What happened...?"

Daisy dipped her head. "A meteor."

Storm watched Flame in awe as both Eclipse and Rain carried Snow outside. They were giving each other angry stares. Daisy couldn't blame them.

"What about the bodies of Team Wonder?" Rin called.

"We already buried them," Flame answered. She was trying not to look sad, but Daisy could tell from the look in her eyes that she was devastated about Snow's death.

Storm looked like Flame had grown three heads. He glanced at Snow's body, then stared at Daisy. "How long have I been out...?"

"A day, I think," Daisy replied.

Storm widened his eyes again. "Where's...Moon...?"

Daisy's eyes met the floor. She didn't want to think of the young Vulpix.

Storm frowned. "Is she gone?"

Daisy shrugged. "She's missing... But it's likely."

Rin's voice sounded again. "I'm sorry we couldn't find Moon. The only solution I came up with was that she had been murdered by the Charizard."

Everyone gasped.

Daisy dared to look at Skye, who was facing the wall. She could hear her whimpering and crying. Daisy was surprised that Skye ever would cry.

Finally, Eclipse and Rain padded back in, throwing occasional glares at each other. Eclipse padded next to Skye's side and tried to comfort the Ninetails, while Rain tried to comfort Silver. His wet eyes told Daisy that he had been crying, too.

Storm sat next to Daisy. "Why is River talking to Sky all of a sudden?" he huffed.

Daisy stared at him in surprise. "You noticed?"

A blush crept across Storm's face. "H-he usually talks to you, that's all. I wondered why he changed."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Don't ask me."

Storm looked away.

"He's been acting strange lately," Daisy continued.

Storm looked back at Daisy. "Like how?"

Daisy shrugged. "He always looks dazed whenever I talk to him, and never talks to me anymore. I think someone's possessing him or something."

Storm tilted his head. "Possessed?"

"That's what Zeke said, remember?" Daisy reminded him. "He said they would possess some Pokemon."

"I don't trust him," Storm growled.

Daisy shrugged. "I don't, either, but you don't know if he's right or wrong."

Storm narrowed his eyes to slits. "Don't believe a word he says."

Daisy looked up at the ceiling. "If he ever comes back to talk to us."

"He probably will," Storm growled.

"Yeah. Maybe."

There was an awkward silence.

"So..." Storm began. "A-are you suspicious of Eclipse?"

Daisy tilted her head. "Yeah, why?"

"I don't know. He's really mean." Storm hesitated, as if not wanting her to read his thoughts.

Daisy nodded. "That doesn't mean he's evil, but he could be. Let's not talk here or someone will overhear us."

Storm looked at the elevator. "How about we talk when everyone else is asleep? I wish we didn't have to share a room..."

"Okay." Her heart skipped a beat. "Are you suspicious of Sky?"

"Her?" Storm looked surprised. "Why would I be?"

Daisy glanced at where Sky and River were talking at the table all by themselves. "Well, she's changed a lot. Ever since she started talking to River, she's been so rude to me. And Blue's...not mute."

"What?" Storm stared at her and blinked. "How could she not be mute? We should've known ages ago!"

Daisy shrugged. "She must keep secrets pretty easily. And when Sky found out, she ignored Blue completely. She managed to overhear something Blue said, and almost killed her, but River got in the way."

Storm blinked again, trying to register this information. "So River stopped Sky and he still likes her even after she almost killed someone? Lame."

Daisy chuckled. "Very."

"River's weird," Storm added. "He's changed since I came back, and I can already tell."

"Yeah... I think he's possessed..."

"You already told me that!" Storm said. "Anyway, he probably is. It's kind of obvious with how he's acting."

"But who would possess him?" Daisy asked.

Storm immediately came up with an answer. "Zeke?"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "We're not sure that he is a murderer. I suspect him, but we have no proof besides his actions that he does - like trying to stab us. That's kind of strange. I think it might be Eclipse."

"How the heck would Eclipse possess someone?" Storm growled. "It has to be a dead Pokemon. Live Pokemon having powers doesn't even make any sense."

"You're right with that," Daisy grinned. "Believing Pokemon with powers is kind of stupid if you ask me."

Storm nodded. "I think dead Pokemon, Pokemon like Zeke, could possess someone. It's probably Zeke."

"Or someone we don't know of," Daisy admitted.

Storm frowned. "It should be Zeke."

Daisy looked around worriedly, spotting Sky staring at them from her table. "I think she heard us..." she whispered.

Storm's heart was beating pretty loudly. "Oh, no."

Sure enough, the Pachirisu jumped down the chair and stalked toward them, an angry expression in her eyes.

Daisy looked at the floor, feeling her fur prickle with worry.

Sky stopped in front of the two partners. "I heard you talking about me and River! What did you say?" she demanded.

Storm looked up. "None of your business!" he snapped.

Sky narrowed her eyes to slits. "Oh, hey there, Mr. Grumpy! Why are you so grumpy today?"

"I'm always grumpy," Storm huffed. "Leave us alone."

"I'm not going to leave you alone!" Sky crossed her arms. "Tell me what you said."

Daisy hissed. "I don't have to listen to you!"

Sky rolled her eyes. "Wait until River hears that you suspect him of being evil!"

Storm took a step forward. "We never said that!"

"You said he was possessed," Sky snapped. "That's close enough." She defended River. She defended him. She couldn't even. "I would never suspect him!"

Daisy's heart pounded. "Please don't tell him!"

Sky smirked. "Too late."

Storm leaped on Sky. "You won't do anything!" he snarled.

Heads turned around to watch the battle.

Flame roared, spitting out a burst of flame. She flapped her wings and flew toward the fighters like a speeding bullet.

Daisy hissed at Storm. "Stop!"

Storm got off of Sky just before Flame could make him. "She was asking for it!"

"What's going on?" Flame crossed her arms.

Sky and Storm pointed to each other.

Daisy sighed. "They just got in a fight."

"Over what?" Flame growled.

Daisy's mind went blank. She tried to say something, but her mouth stopped moving.

"They," Sky hissed, "suspected River of being evil."

Everyone gasped.

Daisy felt her fur bristle. "No, we didn't!"

"We just thought he was possessed, that's all!" Storm glared at Sky.

Daisy gave him a warning look, but Flame already heard. "Possessed?" she growled. "What are you thinking?"

"Uh...nothing," Storm stammered.

Flame rolled her eyes. "I have to know everything you say, Storm. Even if I don't believe it, I won't give you a punishment or anything for your suspicions."

Storm dipped his head. "Okay, Flame..."

"Do I have to go with?" Daisy asked.

Flame nodded. "I'll bring you guys outside."

Daisy looked around for River, but she couldn't see him anymore. The rescue teams were blocking him, giving occasional stares at Sky.

"Let's go!" Storm gave her a shove.

Daisy sighed, following Flame as she opened the door and stepped in the grass. She stepped out and wrapped her tail around her paws.

Flame looked at them, still with crossed arms. "So, who are you suspicious of?"

"Well, we're not really suspicious of River, but he's been acting strange lately..." Daisy sighed. "We think he's possessed."

Flame raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"He always has a dazed look in his eye whenever he talks to me, and he completely changed his personality in the last couple of days."

Flame sighed. "I've noticed that." She gave the thumbs-up. "But he won't do anything wrong. Is there anyone else you're suspicious of?"

"No," Daisy quickly said.

Flame frowned. "Okay." She trotted toward the door, Daisy and Storm following.

Once they were in, Storm shot an angry glare at Daisy. "Why did you lie?!"

Daisy glared at him back. "I had to! I didn't need Flame knowing about Eclipse! They're like, best friends!"

Storm rolled his eyes. "Well, once she finds it, she'll give you a punishment for sure."

"And how will she find out?" Daisy retorted.

Storm was silent.

"Exactly."

Storm sighed. "She'll probably overhear us talking or something. I hope she doesn't hear us now..."

Daisy shot a glance at Flame. The Charizard was talking with Pidgeot like she always did. She stared back at Storm. "She doesn't."

Storm sighed again with relief. "Good."

Because you are the biggest sweater I know! Daisy frowned. "Do you think Eclipse's possessed?"

Storm shrugged. "Probably."

"Maybe he's just rude," Daisy pointed out. "Not all rude Pokemon are evil."

"But he acts so much like it, doesn't he?" Storm said.

Daisy frowned. "Yeah..."

"Maybe he is just rude." Storm sighed. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Me, neither," Daisy growled.

Storm looked at the ceiling. "But it's not important right now, right?"

Daisy looked at him as if he was crazy. "We have to figure out who's evil and who's not!" she whispered loudly. "If we don't, the world could be doomed!"

Storm stared at her in surprise. "I didn't know you cared so much..."

"Of course I do!" Daisy told him. "Why wouldn't I?"

Storm shrugged. "I don't know..."

Daisy glanced at her paws. "Well, we have to find it out soon!"

"Don't be impatient," Storm growled. "We have time."

"I guess..." Daisy trailed off. "I'm not sure if more Pokemon will get possessed, though..."

Storm shrugged. "Hopefully no one."

"I don't want anyone getting possessed, either, but it's probably going to happen," Daisy growled. "Time is running out."

"We have time!" Storm repeated.

Daisy huffed. For once she knew how it felt to be grumpy. "No, we don't, Storm. We need to find out who's evil and who's not evil quickly."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Storm hissed.

Daisy shrugged. "Who knows? We have to think of reasons."

Storm thought for a moment. "Maybe we could watch Eclipse and River for a while and see how they're doing?"

"I was thinking Rain, too," Daisy pointed out.

Storm stared at her. "Who?"

Daisy sighed. "It's a long story. He was just Snow's former mate, that's all."

"Oh." Storm's eyes filled with sadness at the mention of Snow.

"Yeah. I'm a little suspicious of him. He's nice, but..."

"There's no proof that he's evil," Storm pointed out. "I saw him earlier. He doesn't act as strong as Eclipse because he's grieving."

Anger filled Daisy's eyes. "Eclipse probably doesn't even care."

"That's just wrong," Storm hissed. "They liked each other."

"I know!" Daisy growled. "He never acted like he cared, even when Snow died."

Storm's claws dug into the ground. "Let's go somewhere else," he said. "I don't like to talk about this in public."

Daisy cast a sad glance at Sky and River, who were still speaking to each other. What could they be talking about that was this long?

Storm seemed to stare at them, too. "Why are they still talking?"

Daisy shrugged. "Sky's probably doing bad things to him."

"They could be plotting against us," Storm joked.

Daisy gave him a friendly shove. "Storm!" she said. Then she frowned. "That's really not something to joke about."

Storm chuckled. "I was just trying to cheer you up."

Daisy stared at Sky again. Once Sky's head turned to look at her, she glanced away.

"She's creepy..." Storm's voice made her look up at him.

"Kind of." Daisy frowned. "Let's go before she overhears us talking again. Another big fight will probably start and annoy the dung out of us."

Storm stared at the elevator. "How about our rooms?"

Daisy nodded. "Good idea." She stretched.

Right before they could enter the elevator, Flame came up to Daisy and Storm, fire bursting from her mouth. Just when Daisy thought she was going to kill them, the fat Charizard spoke. "I want you two to stay in here until late afternoon, when you're going to look for Team Vine. They should be back by now." Flame frowned. "Ice Mountain isn't that far."

Daisy dipped her head. "We will."

Flame nodded. "Team Sun will come with. Remember that."

Daisy's heart sank at the mention of Team Sun coming with. Would Sky do anything?

Storm let out a hiss as soon as Flame left. "Really? She's letting Sky come with?" He huffed. "She should've known about the fight we got into!"

"You technically started it," Daisy pointed out.

"Well, she's rude," Storm growled. "She completely changed her personality last time I saw her. I think she's possessed, also."

Daisy rolled her eyes until they were staring at the ceiling. "Maybe."

Storm poked her. "At least Blue's nice. If she was as rude as Sky was, we'd be in trouble."

Daisy widened her eyes. She didn't even want to hear if Blue changed her personality. "Well, let's go see what Eclipse's up to. Maybe we can go get some clues."

Storm's ears perked up. "Good idea."

Daisy scanned the room for a Houndoom, but she could see none. She spotted Rain and Silver talking to each other, Sky and River still talking, and Skye crying at the wall, but Eclipse had left.

"Let's not bother Skye," Daisy told him, letting out an huff. "Eclipse probably went to his room."

Storm sighed. "Great. And if we look at Sky again, she'll probably kill us."

Daisy cracked a smile. "You're right on that. What should we do before lunch?"

"I don't know." Storm shrugged. "Wait for the lunch bell to ring?"

Daisy cast a glance at the clock. It was 11:48. So much time had passed.

"I guess we wait ten minutes," she said to him.

There was a silence.

Daisy stretched. "So, when Eclipse comes back for lunch, do you want to talk to him?"

Worry showed in Storm's eyes. "I don't want you - us to get hurt."

"He's not going to kill us." Daisy looked up at him. "But, what should we say to him?"

Storm shrugged. "Let's just not talk to him. We can watch him when he's not looking, and see if he's doing anything unusual."

"He's probably just going to talk to Skye," Daisy reminded him. "I doubt we need to watch him during lunch."

"Maybe." Storm looked at Sky and River again. He didn't seem that mad the two were talking. "I think we should be keeping a close eye on those two all the time."

Daisy grinned. "River's not as rude as Sky is. Sky's angry whenever I talk to River; I doubt she's possessed. But River probably is."

"They both completely changed their personality," Storm growled.

"Yes, but Sky actually had a reason to. River just...changed somehow." Daisy looked at the clock again. It was 11:56. "The lunch bell's going to ring in two minutes."

Storm cast a glance at the clock. "You're right."

"Let's go to a table," Daisy suggested. When Storm nodded, she walked up to a table as far from Sky as she could get, then sat down in a chair.

Storm fluffed up his fur. "It's not as warm as the Guild is!" he complained.

Daisy chuckled. "We're going to have to deal with it for a long time until the Guild's fixed. At least it's warm in here."

"But the chair's cold," Storm growled. He tried fluffing up his fur even more, but it made him look messy.

Daisy grinned at her messy partner. "You can't be that cold, can you?"

"Well...maybe not that cold." Storm frowned. "But cold enough."

The lunch bell rang. Daisy watched as Pidgeot carried plates to each of the tables. Her food was waffles with syrup on them.

Storm drooled. "I love these!"

Daisy took a bite out of her waffle. "I know, right?" she said in between chewing.

As she was eating, she watched the Pokemon walk out of the elevator, which was a lot since the Guild was mixed with the Pidgeot's Training Camp members.

She saw Eclipse pad out of the elevator and walk next to Skye's side. Her prediction was right. He wasn't going to do anything suspicious, just try and comfort Skye.

"You think Moon's alive?" Storm asked.

"I don't like to talk about this," Daisy said with a frown. "S-she was my best friend."

"I know. I'm sorry." Storm looked at his paws.

Daisy grinned. "No, no, it's fine. I just hope she isn't gone."

"Me, neither," Storm replied.

Once Daisy had finished eating her waffles, the lunch bell rang again. Daisy licked her lips as she leaped out of her chair and next to Storm's side. Her mouth was covered with syrup.

Storm looked at her. "Do we go to Flame now?"

Daisy shrugged. "I guess." She looked around for the fat Charizard, who was still eating with Pidgeot across from her.

"Hello!" Flame greeted them as they walked past. She finished eating and got up. "Go ahead and tell Team Sun you're leaving to find Team Vine. If any fights happen..." Flame frowned. "I'll deal with it when you come back."

Daisy dipped her head. "Okay, Flame." She glanced worriedly around for Blue, and wasn't surprised when she saw her eating alone at a table.

"Blue!" Storm called as they padded over. "Flame wants you and Sky to come on a mission with us to find Team Vine."

Worry flashed in Blue's eyes. "They're missing?"

"It's only been a day," Daisy pointed out. "I doubt they're dead or anything."

Blue still seemed pretty worried. "I-I'll go get Sky," she said, and then scurried off.

Daisy watched as the Minun padded over to Sky, who was eating the last of her waffles. Sky seemed pretty angry when Blue walked over, but a glare from River told her not to fight.

"Flame wants us and Team Darkened Thunder to go on a mission to find Team Vine," Blue blurted out.

Sky narrowed her eyes. "Okay." She got up and walked past Blue, crossing her arms. She didn't even look back.

When she walked over to Daisy, her eyes were still narrowed and she was glaring at the Umbreon. She pointed to River, and then shook her head.

Daisy returned the glare, feeling angry that Sky had to be jealous about everything.

"Well, let's go," Sky growled. "Do you know where Ice Mountain is?"

Daisy shook her head.

Sky let out a deep sigh. "I'll show you the way."

Blue padded over to them, panting. "Sorry for the wait."

"What did you do?" Sky glared at her.

"Nothing important," Blue lied, not meeting Sky's eyes.

Sky raised an eyebrow. "I'll find out later," she hissed. "Right now, we have a mission to do."


	17. Chapter 16: Journey Through Ice Mountain

Eclipse sighed as he slumped down in his seat. He was incredibly bored, and trying to comfort Skye from Moon's sudden disappearance wasn't helping his mood.

Skye continued to sob, her tears landing on her food.

"Stop, you're making your food wet," Eclipse growled.

"B-but Moon's dead!" Skye whimpered.

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "She disappeared. She might be alive. Just deal with it."

Skye looked at him. "I can't when we lost a partner. Aren't you sad?"

"Of course," Eclipse told her, "but I wouldn't be crying all the time. That's a sign of weakness."

Another Pokemon walked over to them, and Eclipse scowled when he recognized the face of Rain. "What are you doing?"

Rain crossed his arms, also scowling. "You're being rude to Skye. She's just grieving."

Eclipse stood up. "Oh? Well, she should cry somewhere else and stop bothering me."

Rain narrowed his eyes. "Stop being rude."

"I'm not being rude!" Eclipse spat. "Skye's bothering me! Especially since she's getting her food wet."

Rain didn't seem disgusted. "She's grieving," he repeated. "Like I did when..." He hesitated.

Eclipse's claws scraped the ground. "Don't even mention her!"

Rain took a step forward. "Would you kill me?"

Eclipse narrowed his eyes. "Don't even say that."

Rain grinned. "Kill me. Right here. I dare you."

Eclipse tilted his head. "You really want me to?"

"If Flame finds out, she'll get rid of you for sure," Rain hissed. "So your face won't be seen here anymore."

"Then I won't kill you." Eclipse grinned. "Not here, anyway."

"Where?" Rain growled.

Eclipse looked back at Skye. She was too busy crying to notice their argument. Annoyance flashed through his eyes. He got up in Rain's face. "I'll kill you when no one is there to get rid of me," he hissed.

"I'll tell her, you know," Rain reminded him.

"I won't let you." Eclipse narrowed his eyes.

Rain just walked away. Eclipse sensed his anger and rolled his eyes.

"What were you doing to him?" Skye asked, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Eclipse looked at her. "We just got in a fight," he snapped. "Why is it your business?"

Skye was silent.

"Exactly." Eclipse looked away, huffing. "I'm going to go in my room."

As he entered the elevator, he wondered how he would actually kill Rain.

Daisy stared at the forest before her known as Smoky Woods. She shuddered at the thought of the horrible place. Now she would have to venture through it to reach Ice Mountain. It didn't help to have Sky on her side.

Sky crossed her arms. "Are we going or not?" she huffed.

"You sound like Storm," Daisy joked.

Storm glared at her.

To Daisy's surprise, Sky ignored her completely and walked through the woods. Daisy took a step forward as she stared at the creepy forest.

"Don't be afraid," Storm reminded her. "It's just the woods. It's not going to kill us."

"I know!" Daisy growled. "I can handle it."

Storm sighed. "Okay."

Daisy padded behind Sky, feeling a little awkward that she was next to the Pachirisu. Blue and Storm padded at her side, also looking awkward.

"So..." Blue said. "How's life?"

"Uh... Good?" Daisy replied.

Storm stared up at the trees. "Are we there yet?" he complained.

"Be patient!" Blue snapped. "We still have a long way to go!"

Storm groaned, dipping his head to the ground. "But I'm so bored!"

"Keep walking," Blue growled.

Daisy felt impatient herself, and worried since they were walking through Smoky Woods, even if it wasn't the bad part. Something made her fur stand on end.

"Do you hear that?" Storm suddenly asked.

Daisy perked her ears, listening. Nothing.

"I don't hear anything," she told him.

Sky suddenly seemed interesting in turning left. "This way!" she said.

"Sky... I don't think that's the way to Ice Mountain," Blue said awkwardly.

Sky glared at her, narrowing her eyes. "Trust me."

Daisy heard a rustling in the bushes. She froze.

"What's wrong?" Storm asked.

"Do you hear that?" Daisy whispered.

Storm perked his ears. "No."

"There was a rustling in the bushes," Daisy told him.

"I must've missed it," Storm said, shrugging.

"I heard it." Blue looked at the bushes, squinting. "I saw something in there."

Daisy's fur stood on end again. "Someone's following us."

Blue took a step back. "L-let's just go to Ice Mountain." She sounded frightened. "I don't like the sounds of this place."

"That's because it's Smoky Woods," Storm pointed out.

"I know, but this isn't the scary part, and I'm hearing voices everywhere." Blue hesitated.

"Run!" a screech sounded from in front of them.

Daisy widened her eyes, hearing a growl from behind her. She picked up the pace, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't even look back to see if Storm and Blue were following.

Finally, she skidded to a stop as the trees thickened. "Will it ever end?" she complained.

Storm landed next to her. "Where's Blue?" he panted.

Daisy's heart quickened. "She's missing?"

"Here," a voice breathed out from behind Daisy. Daisy sighed with relief.

"Where's Sky?" Blue asked.

"Last time I saw her, she was talking to someone," Storm said, shrugging.

Blue stared at him. "What?"

Daisy squinted. "She's up to something, that's for sure."

Storm sighed. "Why are you always suspicious of everything?"

"I'm not!" Daisy retorted.

"She isn't suspicious of me or you!" Blue defended her friend.

Storm raised his paw. "She's suspicious of...Eclipse, Rain, Sky...Who else? Not Zeke." He spat out the word.

"Who's Zeke?" Blue asked.

Daisy gave Storm a warning look. "Nothing to worry about," she reminded Blue.

"You're definitely going to be suspicious of him," Storm whispered in Daisy's ear.

Daisy sighed. "I don't know if he is, or Rain, or Eclipse, or Sky."

Storm huffed. "Sky definitely is."

"Maybe." Daisy remembered the time when Storm and Sky got in a fight with each other, and shuddered.

"What?" Blue asked.

"Nothing. Let's go find Sky," Daisy replied.

"I'll lead the way. I know where Ice Mountain is," Blue said.

Daisy glanced at her. "Didn't you just say she was turning the wrong way?"

Blue suddenly seemed interested in her paws. "M-maybe I was thinking of something else," she said worriedly.

Daisy stared at her for a moment longer, then looked away. "Where could she be?"

"Probably going to Ice Mountain by herself," Storm huffed.

Blue nodded. "I don't think she likes our company. Let's go."

An awkward silence surrounded the clearing as the three Pokemon walked.

"So..." Storm cleared his throat. "Do you know what the growl was?"

Daisy stared at him. "No."

"Whatever it was, it's gone now," Blue told him. "I don't think we have to worry."

Storm sighed with relief. "I hope so."

Daisy wondered why he was so worried.

Blue perked her ears for any sign of rustling in the bushes. "I don't hear anything." She sighed.

"It's starting to get colder," Storm complained, fluffing up his fur. Daisy looked ahead. The undergrowth was still thick, but Storm was right; it was getting cold fast.

"That's because we're nearing Ice Mountain!" Blue explained.

Daisy looked shocked. "Already? No wonder Flame was worried about Team Vine."

Blue laughed, but there was worry in her eyes for some reason. "Well, I think-"

A Charizard appeared in front of them, blocking out any words Blue was going to say. "Who do we have here?" he growled.

Storm huffed. "Let us pass!"

The Charizard rolled his eyes at Storm. "No one crosses Smoky Woods unless I let them."

"Then let us," Daisy growled, taking a step forward.

The Charizard shook his head, grinning. "I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."

Blue hit him with Spark, frightening the fire Pokemon. He banged his head right on a tree.

"Good job!" Daisy congratulated her friend.

Blue smiled. "Now let's hurry up and run before he wakes up."

As soon as Daisy started running, the Charizard got up and flamethrowered Blue's back. Blue fell to the ground, panting.

"Blue!" Daisy yelled.

Storm's heart was pounding so loud Daisy could hear. He charged toward the Charizard, attempting a Volt Tackle, but Charizard was quicker. He grabbed the poor Jolteon and used Sesimic Toss.

With a snarl, Daisy leaped on top of Charizard, biting his wing. Blood poured out of the wound. She liked the feel of the enemy's blood in her mouth, strangely. Letting go, Daisy leaped back to the ground and watched as Storm collasped beside her.

"My wing!" Charizard yelped. He fell to the ground, getting up and taking deep breaths. His eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Daisy. "You'll pay for that."

"Try me." Daisy bared her teeth.

Charizard leaped at her, but Daisy was ready. She sidestepped, sending the fire Pokemon banging his head on a tree once more.

Storm laughed. "Good one!"

Blue got up again, walking toward Charizard. "Run or we will kill you!" she hissed at him.

"Never!" As fast as a blink of an eye, Charizard flamethrowered Blue's face.

"Any more and she'll have a burnt face!" Storm joked, but Daisy could tell he was worried.

Daisy huffed. "This is no time for jokes!"

Storm sighed. "You're right." Electricity bolted out of him, hitting Charizard's bad wing.

"What are you doing?" Charizard growled, collasping on the ground. "You hit my wing!"

Storm laughed. "Who's the strong one now?"

Charizard spat. He got up and brushed himself off, glaring at Storm. "You will pay!" He charged, claws outstretched, but a flash of white got in the way of Storm, suprising Charizard.

Daisy blinked, opening her eyes to see Sky clawing the Charizard's back.

"Thanks!" Storm gasped.

Sky flashed a smile, winking. "I could see you needed help."

"Where were you?" Daisy asked.

Sky grinned. "I got in a fight with a Smoky Woods Pokemon; nothing bad. You should be glad I'm back."

"I'm not," Daisy muttered under her breath. She couldn't care less if the annoying Pachirisu got herself killed.

"I didn't think you would save Storm!" Blue seemed surprised.

Hurt flashed in Sky's eyes. "You don't trust me?"

"What's going on?" Storm panted, now next to Daisy's side. "Who is she and what did she do to Sky?"

Daisy glanced at Sky, narrowing her eyes. "She changed since we last saw her. I'm pretty sure the real Sky wouldn't save you."

Storm grinned. "I like this new Sky."

Blue crossed her arms. "I thought you didn't trust me!"

"I do!" Sky pouted, faking a smile. "I always trust you, Blue~!"

"Okay, now I'm sure she's lying," Storm growled.

Daisy felt her fur stand on end. "I just hope Blue doesn't believe her."

Blue grinned. "So you're sorry?"

"Of course!" Sky gave her friend a hug. "We're partners again, right?"

"Right!" Blue replied, happiness flashing in her eyes.

"She believes her," Storm sighed.

Right away, the Charizard lunged himself at Sky. Electricity burst out of the Pachirisu and hit him in the neck. "I hope that hurts!" She stuck her tongue out.

Charizard landed right on a Crobat, who was pretty pissed off he ruined his sleep, so he used Supersonic.

"Good job!" Sky told the Crobat.

The Crobat looked at her, confused, before falling back asleep again.

Daisy watched as the Charizard hit his head on a tree. She couldn't help but chuckle. "His head is going to fall off."

"Remember the last time we were here?" Storm growled. "He always fought us."

"I know, he's annoying. He should just die." Daisy sighed.

Sky's eyes narrowed, and she leaped on top of the Charizard before he could get back up, clawing his neck.

"Don't kill him!" Blue gasped.

Sky jumped back about ten feet and stared at her enemy, gasping. "Is he dead?"

"Hopefully," Storm huffed.

Daisy took a step toward Charizard. Blood was spewing out of the scratches on his neck. _Ew, is that his veins?_

"Don't look!" Daisy hissed to Storm, but the Jolteon was already squinting.

"Ew, is that his veins?" Storm copied what Daisy had thought. "Excuse me while I go throw up."

Daisy walked over to Sky awkwardly. "Thanks for killing him. He was really annoying."

Sky nodded. "Anytime." She threw her arms around Daisy. "And sorry for being a jerk."

Daisy returned the hug, surprise flashing through her eyes. _Should I believe her?_

Sky stepped back from Daisy, and looked at everyone happily. "Let's go search for Team Vine now!"

"I want to rest," Storm complained. He walked back over to the team, puke dripping from his mouth. "The sight of that Charizard after you killed him was too much. Also I need to get my energy back from fighting..."

"Good idea," Daisy panted. She looked at Blue.

Blue seemed a little happy. She looked over at Sky. "Do you want to?"

Sky grinned. "Alright!" She dived into a bush. "I could sleep for ages!"

Blue walked over to Sky. By now she did it without hesitation.

"I don't trust Sky," Storm growled.

Daisy looked over at Storm worriedly. "Maybe we should believe her this once. She was acting really sorry..."

Storm stared at her, shock in his eyes. "Are you crazy? She's a total faker!"

Daisy's tail went over his mouth. "Ssh!"

Storm walked away, huffing. "Well, when she starts talking to River again, don't come crying to me."

Daisy stared after him, then sighed and padded over to her own bush. For some reason she felt like she wanted to cry, but she didn't know why.

Eclipse sat down in his room, glaring at the floor. He had thought of a million reasons to try and kill Rain, but none of them seemed to work. Flame could still find out he was the killer.

"Should I even try?" he wondered out loud. "Snow's dead. Maybe I should just stop bothering him."

Eclipse let out a huff. "I don't know what to think anymore. I'll just see how it goes, and if Rain's still a threat to me." He pawed the floor, sighing.

The elevator opened. Eclipse flinched as Skye stepped out. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing," Eclipse lied.

Skye looked at his bed. "If anything happens, tell me. I'm going to bed."

"Already?" Eclipse stared at her. "It's only late afternoon."

Skye shrugged. "I'm tired."

"Okay." Eclipse stretched. By then he realized he was exhausted, too. "Have fun sleeping."

Skye stared at him a moment longer, then collapsed on her bed. Eclipse could hear noises coming from the other side of the room. He scowled. "Who's there?"

Luckily, Skye already seemed to drift off, so she didn't hear him.

The noises came louder. It seemed to sound like a familiar voice calling to him. Was that...

Eclipse widened his eyes, taking a step back. "What are you doing here?!"

The silhoutte of a ghost grinned up at him. "Hello, Eclipse."

Eclipse stared at her, different emotions flashing in his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

She looked at her paws. "I just wanted to see you."

"I thought you liked Rain," he hissed.

The ghost nodded. "But..." She trailed off.

"I don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone." Eclipse stormed off, pushing a button on the elevator, leaving his former friend staring after him.

Daisy opened her eyes, a flash of sunlight on her pelt. She got up and looked around, the memory of searching for Team Vine coming back to her.

"Hello!" Storm called from next to her. Clearly he forgot about the argument they had yesterday.

"Hi," Daisy said. For some reason she wasn't as cheerful about seeing him as she was about Blue and Sky. Maybe it was because he was grumpy.

Storm looked at all the bushes. "Where's Blue and Sky?"

Daisy got up and walked toward a small clearing in the middle of the woods, revealing a small pond. The woods ended there.

"The sunset is pretty tonight," she said, looking at the sun as it sank behind the mountains. "One of those is Ice Mountain, right?"

Storm grinned. "Yeah."

The reeds rustled, and Sky poked her head out, grinning. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Daisy followed her cheerfully, seeing Blue poke her head out, too. "It's warm in here! You should've slept here!"

Daisy took a step toward the reeds, feeling heat pulse through her body. "Woah, it is!" she replied, chuckling.

Storm frowned. "I don't like the heat."

"And you don't like rain either?" Daisy stared at him. "That's messed up."

Storm shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I'm saying I like warmth, not heat and cold."

Sky completely ignored their conversation. "Let's go!" she shouted.

"Okay, okay." Daisy sighed, looking up at the mountains before them. Pretty soon it would start to get colder.

Storm walked next to her as they padded beside the pond. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday," he told her awkwardly. "I wasn't in a great mood."

Daisy grinned. "It's okay."

Storm's gaze traveled ahead of them, something in his eyes Daisy had never seen before.

"Hurry UP!" Sky complained. "You guys are so SLOW!"

Daisy grinned. Now this was the Sky she used to know.

Storm huffed, catching up to his friends with Daisy following quickly behind. "We're not that fast!" he yelled.

"Well, try to be faster!" Sky told him.

"I can't!" he complained.

"Slowpoke," Blue teased.

"I'm not!" Storm huffed.

"Yes, you are!"

Daisy sighed. "Shut up!" she shouted.

Storm and Blue looked at her, then back at each other. "Can we just keep walking?" Sky growled.

"Sorry!" Blue called.

Sky rolled her eyes but didn't reply. She started to sprint to the mountains.

"Can't you see that we're tired?" spat Storm.

Sky ignored him and continued to run.

Storm groaned. "Fine!"

Daisy couldn't help but giggle at his annoyance. She was a little tired, too, but it was better to just keep quiet.

Blue kept on stopping for breath every few seconds, each time with Sky glaring at her and tapping her foot impatiently against the grass. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and told her partner to stop.

"But I'm tired!" Blue growled.

Sky just rolled her eyes. "We're almost there. If we run, we'll be able to make it in time, and I don't want Flame sending a search party for us." She sighed.

"You're right on that," Storm growled. "Flame is so annoying when she does that."

Blue's head whipped around to face Storm. "Don't talk to our leader like that!"

Storm lightly shrugged. "It's true."

"But it's mean," Daisy reminded him. "Come on. We're wasting time."

"Exactly," Sky growled. Without waiting for an answer, she spun around and darted to the mountains. In a couple of seconds they would be at the base of the range.

"Which one's Ice Mountain?" Daisy called.

Sky pointed to the tallest one, the one they were headed toward. "A lot of avalanches fall down this cliff, so be careful," she reminded the group.

Daisy nodded. "What if one hits us?"

There was no answer, which didn't brighten Daisy's mood.

Finally, they skidded to a stop in front of an snowy mountain. Daisy's fur fluffed up against the cold and she growled.

"I don't think I'll be able to survive without the warmth!" Storm shuddered.

"You will," Sky snapped. "Follow me."

The three cast glances at each other, before following the Pachirisu up a rock face. "This is pretty tall," Storm pointed out.

Sky looked over her shoulder, scowling. "Let me concentrate!"

"Okay, okay." Storm sighed.

Daisy looked at the rocks under her feet. They felt delicate and ready to break any second. She shuddered at the thought of having an avalanche in the middle of their rescue mission.

A flash of white whizzed past her ear. Daisy flinched, almost landing off the mountain, but her claws got caught in the icy cold rocks.

"What was that?" Blue hissed.

Sky slowly turned around, careful not to slip. Her eyes narrowed. "That was an Abamasnow."

"Maybe it was the one who froze the Crobat," Blue pointed out.

Sky sighed. "You think?"

Daisy looked over her shoulder and darted next to Blue's side. Right below her was an Abamasnow, who had Storm in his jaws.

Before Daisy could react, Blue leapt for the enemy, electricity coming out of her with impossible speed.

The Abamasnow seemed surprised and dropped Storm, right before he was hit in the face with Spark.

"Good one!" Sky congratulated her friend.

Blue lifted her chin, proud of herself, and glanced at Storm. "Are you okay?"

"We have to hurry!" Sky ordered. "There's no time for these questions!"

Storm got up and leaned on Blue's shoulder, limping slightly.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked as she padded beside him, looking at the rocks ahead of her.

Storm huffed. "I'm fine. Stop asking.

"Sorry." Storm must've noticed the hurt in Daisy's eyes, because he apologized himself afterward.

Footsteps thumped just behind the group, and Daisy broke into a run after she realized the Abamasnow was ganging on them.

"Run!" Sky screeched.

"We are!" Storm yelled.

Sky growled. "Well, run faster!"

"We can't!" Blue called.

Daisy sensed impatience all over Sky. "TRY!" she snarled.

"I am!" Blue retorted.

"Well, try harder!"

Storm's fur rose. "Shut up and let Sky concentrate," he snapped. The footsteps were getting closer. Daisy ran as fast as the wind until she felt like she couldn't run any longer.

"We're almost there!" Sky called.

Daisy looked ahead of her. She was right; the mountain's peak shown not far off. Her legs slowed to a stop and she stood, panting, next to a large rock.

"Daisy, watch out!"

It was too late. The Abamasnow slammed into her and everything went black.

Eclipse blinked open his eyes as he stared at the table in front of him. With a jolt of surprise, he looked around Floor One, wondering why he was down here in the first place. Then relief washed over him as he recalled what happened last night. But why would she visit him in the first place? Didn't she like Rain?

Flame interrupted Eclipse's thoughts as she glared down at him. "Why were you sleeping on the floor?"

Eclipse dipped his head. "I'm sorry. I guess I was too tired when I went out of the elevator and fainted."

Flame grinned. "That happens. Now, I'm worried for Team Darkened Thunder and Team Sun. I feel like something bad has happened to them. If they don't come back for a day or two, I want you on a search party to try to find them."

_Here we go again._ Eclipse rolled his eyes, making sure Flame didn't see. He nodded. "Of course."

Flame smiled. "I'm worried for them, even if Team Sun is experienced."

"Me, too," Eclipse growled. He just hoped that Team Darkened Thunder were going to die, or he'd have to get rid of them himself.


	18. Chapter 17: Traitors

Daisy blinked open her eyes, seeing a blurry shape move in front of her.

"Daisy? Are you okay?" someone asked, but she hardly heard. Her hind leg was aching with pain.

Slowly she pushed herself to her feet, sitting down. "W-what happened?" she said sleepily.

Finally she could see everything clearly. Sky was looming over her, looking worried. "You were mauled by an Abamasnow. Storm saved you just in time."

Daisy looked over to see Storm staring at her, worry in his black eyes. "Thanks..."

Storm nodded, grinning.

Sky looked at the top of Ice Mountain, lashing her blue and white tail. "Great. We're not even halfway there, and the sun is setting. Flame's going to send a search party indeed."

Daisy tried to stand up, but her leg stung with pain. She collapsed again.

"I think someone's going to have to carry her," Sky growled.

"Don't act as if I'm not there!" Daisy snapped.

Sky turned to her, an apologetic look in her eyes. "Sorry."

"I will," Storm offered. "I'm the only one here who can hold her anyway."

Daisy's face fell. _Great. I'm going to have to be carried by someone. Just my luck in this creepy mountain range._

Blue looked at the mountain before her, crossing her arms. They weren't even halfway there and it felt like the group had hiked for miles. How big was Ice Mountain, exactly?

"You okay?" Sky asked from her other side.

Blue let out a huff. "Tired. When will this hike end?"

Sky frowned. "Only Arceus knows. We aren't even halfway there yet, and my paws feel like they're going to fall off."

"And I thought I was the only one!" Blue's teeth chattered. "We should take a break. It's freezing."

Sky shook her head. "In this cold weather? Um, I'm not sure about you, but I don't want to turn to a block of ice."

Storm hissed. "And if we fall asleep, the chances are likely a search party would be right there in front of us once we wake up."

"Flame is so annoying sometimes," Daisy said with a sigh.

Storm looked over his shoulder. "Practically everyone knows that already."

Sky whispered in Blue's ear, "Not as much as Storm."

Blue giggled slightly. Now this was the Sky she used to know and love.

Storm let out an enormous yawn. "Are we done yet?"

Blue sighed with annoyance, quoting what Sky had just said. "You know, you're more annoying than Flame!"

Storm narrowed his eyes, but he didn't seem that offended. He probably got that a lot from others.

Sky patted Blue on the back. "Good job." She chuckled. "You probably just lost a friendship with Storm."

Blue rolled her eyes. "I don't care. He's rude anyway."

Sky seemed to stare at her in surprise, the wind whipping on her face, making her look pretty. No wonder River hung out with her a lot. Finally, the Pachirisu turned away and glanced ahead. "We have to keep on moving before Flame sends out a search party for real. She's probably already thinking about it now."

Blue pushed her paws on a rock and leaped on top of it swiftly. "You're right. Let's go." As she looked ahead, the mountain seemed to go on forever; she would make sure to check with Sky to see if they were halfway there yet.

"I hope Team Vine isn't all the way at the top," Sky grunted.

"Me too!" Storm let out a hiss. "My paws are falling off!"

Daisy grinned. "I'm lucky I don't have to walk."

Storm glared down at his partner. "That doesn't make me feel any better. You have an injured leg, anyway. Isn't it hurting?"

"Don't be mean to her!" Blue snapped.

Storm shot her a surprised glare, as if he expected her to back him up instead. "Whatever," he growled, stalking off.

"Be careful!" Sky told everyone.

Blue turned to her companion. "Are there going to be any enemies?" she asked worriedly.

Sky stared at her in surprise. "We've been here before, remember? There's a lot."

"Yes, of course, but our last mission here was a long time ago. I don't remember a lot from that. Also, maybe some Pokemon moved or something." Blue shrugged.

Sky raised an eyebrow. "Maybe." She walked a little faster, jumping over a rock. "Avalanches are common in this mountain range, so be careful," she called to the others.

Blue caught up with Sky until they were walking at the same pace. "Since when did you know so much about Ice Mountain?" she asked.

Sky didn't look back. "I was taught."

"By who?" Blue asked, tilting her head, curiosity in her eyes.

Sky sighed. "Could you quit asking all these questions?" Her eyes widened and she glanced at her paws. "Sorry for being rude. I'm just trying to concentrate, that's all."

"No, no, it's fine." Blue rested a hand lightly on her shoulder. "It was my fault for asking in the first place."

Sky broke free and started sprinting. "Hurry up!" she yelled. "The sun's setting!"

Blue walked a little faster, although she was so cold she couldn't even feel her paws. She cast a glance at the sky, seeing the sun sink in the distance, turning the sky a bright orange. It looked pretty.

Storm narrowed his eyes. "It's too cold!" he complained.

Sky whipped around to face the Team Darkened Thunder member. "Well, you're gonna have to deal with it!" she snapped loudly. "We don't have much time!"

Storm stared at her in awe, his jaw dropping. Luckily, he seemed to be convinced, because he walked a little faster after that.

"Should we stop and rest?" Daisy yawned.

"Stop saying that!" Sky growled. "In the morning, there's probably gonna be a huge search party right in front of us!"

Storm rolled his eyes, but Blue could tell he slightly agreed with the Pachirisu.

"So..." Blue said. She leaped on top of a rock and gazed into the distance.

Sky squinted. "We're more than halfway there, I believe."

"Thank Arceus," Storm growled. He shot a glare at Sky. "I really need to rest."

"He's right," Blue reminded Sky. "We could rest in one of the caves over there." She pointed with her paw to a hole in the rocks.

Sky opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again. She let out a huff. "Fine. But when the search party comes tomorrow, don't blame me."

"It might only be for a few minutes," Blue told her. "We need to gain our energy back."

As soon as they reached the caves, Storm collapsed, letting Daisy slide down his back. "Thank you for finally letting us sleep, Sky!" he grumbled.

Sky snorted. "We're only staying for a few minutes, so don't get your hopes up."

Storm groaned. "I feel like I could sleep forever!"

Blue laughed. "You're going to gain your energy back if we stay for a while. Should I get some berries?"

"Yeah. We're probably all hungry," Sky commented. She narrowed her eyes. "Thanks, Blue."

Blue nodded to her partner, before walking out of the cave. She gazed into the distance, seeing tiny patches of grass everywhere. The sun was setting quicker, and the sky was darkening to black. Stars appeared in the evening sky, and a light breeze stirred throughout the mountain.

The Minun breathed out cold air, feeling herself shiver. There should've been berries on Ice Mountain, which there always was, and she slightly remembered feeding herself and Sky some red ones near the top. Blue grinned. It was always fun reminiscing about old memories.

"I'm going to have to go all the way to the top to give us berries," she whispered to herself. "Should I take the chance?"

Her belly rumbled. Right away, Blue knew that she needed to feed them or they might starve to death. "It's not far up..."

With a soft sigh, she called to her group. "Do you guys want to come with? I'll be at the top of the mountain."

Sky appeared from the entrance. "The berries are at the top?" She moaned. "Fine. Guys, you're gonna have to come with if you need food."

"I can't get up!" someone groaned. Blue giggled as she recognized the voice of Storm.

"Well, you're going to have to!" Sky snapped back. "Do you want to starve?"

There was silence.

"Exactly!" Sky continued. "Follow us and put Daisy on your back again."

The voice of Daisy sounded farther into the cave. "I can walk!"

Sky rolled her eyes. "You have an injured leg. More likely you're going to fall every second we hike up there, and you'll make the trip slow."

Daisy sighed. "Fine!"

"Finally you listen!" But there was cheerfulness in Sky's voice. It was nice to have the real Sky back again. Blue sighed with relief.

"Can we go now?" she asked.

Sky padded over to her, tail swishing through the snow. She grinned. "Of course." Flashing a glance over her shoulder, she sighed. Cold air came out of her mouth. "Only if they don't hold us back."

Blue laughed. "They would, probably."

Sky groaned. "That doesn't help."

"It's the truth." Blue shrugged slightly, before turning and walking away from the caves. By now more stars were starting to appear in the sky.

"So how far up are the berries?" Storm asked when he reached them.

"Pretty high," Sky commented.

Storm huffed.

Blue rested her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we're more than halfway there," she said cheerfully.

Storm didn't seem to have been convinced, but he shrugged it off and started padding through the snow.

"Did you get your energy back?" Blue asked.

Storm frowned. "Only some of it. My paws don't feel like they're going to fall off anymore, but I bet I'll be like that when we reach the top."

"Everyone will." Daisy lifted her head from Storm's back.

Blue nodded.

"But when we have to fight...will we faint?" Storm looked worried now.

This time, it was Sky who replied. "Don't worry. We'll win." She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself, though. Blue felt her heart pound with worry for Tackle. And Night. But for some reason, she felt like she was more worried for Tackle than his partner.

"Let's go," Sky growled, starting to sprint.

"At this rate, I won't feel my paws in a second," Storm replied, but he followed his group leader anyway.

Blue felt the air start to get colder as she walked, and it seemed to get a lot more windier as they went higher.

"It's really cold," Storm complained as he fluffed up his fur.

"Well, stop complaining about it!" Sky yelled at him.

"She's right." Blue glared at Storm. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

Storm rolled his eyes. "I'm used to everyone saying that."

"Well, it's true!" Sky shouted.

Daisy slid down from Storm's back, to Blue's surprise, and hissed. "Will you stop being mean?" she defended her partner. "You're hurting his feelings."

Storm shrugged. "I don't care."

"Way to say thanks to Daisy for defending you," Sky growled. But she looked at Daisy with an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"Yeah, me too," Blue replied. "He can be annoying at times, though."

Daisy looked at Storm. "I guess you're going to have to carry me again."

Storm huffed. "You shouldn't have slid down in the first place!" But Blue could tell from the look in his eyes that he was happy Daisy had defended him.

As they continued to walk, the sky, clear as day, was starting to gain a couple of clouds.

"I hope it doesn't storm any time soon," Sky pointed out.

Blue smiled. "I doubt it. They're just clouds. It's not like they're going to hurt us."

Sky gave a slight laugh as Blue tripped over a rock. She looked ahead. "It looks like we're almost there!"

Blue sat up, rubbing her head. "Ouch..." Her spirits rose as she noticed a curve in the mountain. Could they be almost at the top?

"Look! Berries!" Sky shouted, pointing to a couple bushes planted in the ground.

Storm cheered. "Finally we get to rest!"

"Oh, no we're not!" Daisy told him. "We're almost to the peak of Ice Mountain. We're not stopping for rest now."

Storm let out a groan. "Can you tell Daisy to shut up?" he asked Sky.

Sky frowned. "She has a point, though. Maybe you're tired, but we're not. Sorry, Storm."

Storm collapsed in a bush, not even bothering to walk any longer. "You guys can go on without me," he hissed. "But I'm staying."

Blue and Sky exchanged an annoyed glance. Sky turned to Storm, trying hard to control her temper. "You have to come with us," she said, her breathing loud. "If you don't participate in this mission, I'll tell Flame. She'll give you a punishment."

Storm widened his eyes and immediately jumped up. "You can't do that!"

"Then follow us!" Blue told him.

Storm sighed. "Fine."

Daisy laughed. "Lazy."

"I'm not lazy!" Storm glared at his partner. "More like the opposite!"

Blue rolled her eyes. "Since when did you ever not complain?"

Storm glared at her but said nothing. He stalked off, the anger still in his eyes as Daisy sat down on him, looking a little lazy, also. _I hope she's not going to turn out like Storm..._

Sky kept on shooting pissed off glances at Storm. Blue couldn't blame her for being annoyed by the Jolteon. She felt the same.

"Are we there yet?" Daisy asked.

"Hold on!" Sky called. "Just one more huge rock!"

Blue stared in surprise at the giant piece of gray rock in front of her. It towered above them - almost the size of Pidgeot's Training Camp.

"Just how are we supposed to climb over this?" Storm sat down, huffing.

"We don't." Sky's face fell. "We have to go around."

Blue nodded. "It's not that hard, Storm."

"Well, I didn't think of that!" Storm growled. "Don't blame me!"

Daisy defended her partner again. "He didn't do anything wrong."

Sky jumped to her paws. "He's annoying, he's lazy, he holds us back on every rescue mission! How can you handle him?"

Daisy shrugged lightly. "I'm used to it. And I highly doubt you didn't hurt Storm's feelings."

Storm glared at her. "She didn't!"

"See?" Sky crossed her arms as she glared at Storm. "He doesn't even say thanks when you defend him!"

Storm stuck his tongue out at Sky. Blue suspected Sky was just angry at Storm from the fight they had earlier.

"Oh, leave him alone." Daisy glared at Sky. "Like I said, he didn't do anything wrong."

Sky turned her face away, clearly not wanting to argue with her friends. "Let's just go..."

Snow dropped from the rock, landing on Blue's head. She flinched slightly and turned her head to the top of the rock, glaring at it. "Who just did that?"

"Someone's trying to annoy us," Storm growled. Blue giggled as she saw a huge clump of snow on his face.

"Maybe it's an avalanche," Sky pointed out.

"Don't make them scared!" Storm growled.

Sky let out a laugh. "Clearly you're the one who's scared, Storm."

"No, I'm not!" Storm defended himself.

Daisy chuckled. This time she didn't try to defend her partner. She probably agreed.

"Well, I think it's just some Pokemon trying to annoy us," Storm retorted, glaring hard at Sky. "It couldn't be an avalanche."

More snow dropped on their heads. This time, Blue got a little annoyed. "Whoever is up there, stop right now!"

A small chuckle sounded from the top of the rock. Blue widened her eyes. Was that...?

"That noise sounds familiar!" Storm announced.

"Because it is!" Sky yelled. "Guys, come on!" She started bouncing around the rock, a cheerful expression in her gaze.

Blue felt her spirits rise as she followed, casting glances behind her to make sure Storm was following. Annoyance flashed in her gaze as she saw he was walking instead of running. Sure, he had Daisy on him, but he didn't have to be that slow.

Finally, they reached around the rock. Blue cast a glance on top of it, but she didn't see anyone. Maybe the Pokemon had left.

"Who's there?" called Sky.

There was no answer.

"Maybe they left..." Storm said as he finally reached him.

Blue's heart sank. For some reason, she was upset she never got to talk to that familar voice. At least she knew he was alive.

"Where did he go?" Sky snapped.

Blue frowned. "I don't know..."

Storm started pacing impatiently on the ground. "Are we there yet?" he snapped.

Blue looked in front of her, eyes widening in surprise when she realized they were only a rock away from reaching the peak. "Close!" she grinned.

Sky sighed with relief. "Finally!"

"In my opinion, we've been pretty fast," Daisy pointed out. "So don't go saying finally."

Sky rolled her eyes but said nothing. She just walked on, her footprints staining the snow.

Blue also fell in step beside Sky, her excitement getting in the way of her vision. She bumped her head on a piece of stone and collapsed.

"Blue! Are you okay?" Worry flashed in Sky's eyes. Blue hadn't seen that in a long time. She grinned slightly.

"I'm fine." Blue shook herself and jumped up. "Just a little excited, that's all."

Sky immediately asked, "Of what?" When there was no reply, she added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Blue sighed with relief. "Thanks."

There was concern in Sky's dark eyes now, and she turned away to continue walking. "I feel like someone's following us, you know."

Blue turned around. Sky was right. Flashes of white shown on either side of the mountain, although it was hard to tell, since the white creatures were camaflauged with the snow.

"Must be the Abomasnows," Snow muttered. "They're chasing after us."

Blue's heart skipped a beat. "Great. We don't need to be slowed down. I don't want Flame getting worried and sending out a search party."

Daisy stood up, and to Blue's surprise, jumped off of Storm. She gazed confidently in the distance. "I can help defeat the Abomasnows."

"If I was in your injured state, I would rest," Sky snapped, looking like she wanted to protect her friend. "So don't even try."

Daisy shook her head. "I had enough rest. I think I can walk." Blue watched as she wobbled a few steps, then started running a little to the peak.

"Be careful!" Sky called to her.

Daisy flicked her ears to show she heard, but said nothing. Her tail bobbed after her and Blue was glad that she didn't trip and fall on her face yet. Maybe she got enough rest after all.

Sky shrugged and followed, Storm padding a little faster. He seemed a little happy that Daisy wasn't on his back anymore. Blue couldn't blame him.

Blue pricked her ears as she heard the thudding of pawsteps behind her. "Run!" she growled at Sky and the others. Her heart was beating rapidly and her instincts told her to walk, not run, but if the pawsteps behind her were enemies, she wasn't taking any chances.

Luckily, Daisy was at the top of the peak already. Her hind leg was dangling in mid air, however, she didn't seem too injured.

Blue's eyes widened when she noticed Tackle and Night right beside her. "Hello!" Tackle said cheerfully. "Why are you here?"

Daisy looked at him, tilting her head. "Flame thought you were hurt, so she sent a search party."

Tackle had a confused expression. "Really? We're safe...not hurt. Night managed to fend off the rest of the Abomasnows."

Blue padded to the top of the mountain, collapsing immediately. She panted for breath. "Wow... All that for nothing?"

Tackle laughed. "We were just about to leave when I saw you guys. I decided to pull a prank on throw snow on you all."

"So that _was _you!" Storm huffed. "Don't do that again, please."

"I was having fun!" Tackle grinned.

"And I got snow everywhere!" Storm shook himself, making him look like a ball of fluff. "See? I still can't get this stupid white stuff off!"

Blue turned to face Night. A grin was plastered on his face, to her surprise.

Sky seemed to notice it too. "Why is Night smiling?"

Daisy slowly put her injured leg on the ground. "Don't be mean!"

"He's emo," Storm pointed out.

Heads whipped around to face him. Night, fortunately, wasn't listening. He was looking at the snow.

"What? It's true." Storm rolled his eyes.

"It's mean," Daisy snapped.

"Well, we have to get going now, I guess," Blue told everyone. "The Abamasnows are catching up pretty quick." To prove it, pawsteps seemed to get louder.

Tackle looked pretty stunned. "I see them, too! Let's go!"

Before Blue or anyone else could reply, he raced off in the direction of The Guil- Pidgeot's Training Camp. Blue felt saddened as she remembered the Guild, which was now broken down and needed fixing.

"Hurry up!" Tackle called over his shoulder.

Night, Storm, and Daisy sprinted behind him, Daisy limping on three legs. Luckily, her resting seemed to heal the leg a little.

Blue was about to leave when a hand grasped her shoulder. She turned to face Sky, who was staring at her with a look of menace in her eyes.

"You're not going anywhere," she hissed. Then she hit her former friend on the head and everything went black.

A red line streaked the horizon as Daisy, Storm, Tackle, and Night headed off. The Umbreon had forgotten it was late afternoon. She was surprised it was even close to night.

"I think the Abomasnows are chasing after us," Tackle panted as soon as they reached the base of Ice Mountain.

"Oh, great." Daisy sat down and huffed. "How could this day get any worse?"

Tackle laughed. "You sound just like Storm."

"Hey! I'm not like her!" Storm defended himself.

Daisy rolled her eyes. Even Night glared at him from his place behind the group.

"What are you looking at?" Storm huffed.

Tension lifted in the air.

Tackle sniffed. "I smell blood. Where's Blue and Sky?"

Daisy had a feeling that something bad had happened between the two, but she didn't know what. "Let's go find-"

Before she could answer, an Abomasnow sprinted toward the group, anger in its eyes. It hit Night in the face with an Ice Punch as two more of them wrestled with Storm.

Daisy's heart skipped a beat as a fourth one jumped on her, using Blizzard.

"Oh, hell no!" Tackle yelled. He jumped on the Abomasnow, since he had no one to attack, and got him off of Daisy.

"Thanks!" Daisy breathed. Unfortunately, the Abomasnow had gotten her leg, and it started to feel painful again.

Storm ran over to her side after biting an enemy's face. "You should leave and look for Blue and Sky," he said. "While the rest of us fight."

"I can fight!" Daisy protested, but Storm wouldn't take no for an answer. He glared at her long and hard until Daisy finally agreed.

Tackle continued to wrestle with the Abomasnow. He nodded at Daisy. "Go find them." There was a flash of worry in his eyes, but it went away so fast it was probably just Daisy's imagination.

"Wait!" Daisy called to Tackle just before she started the climb up the mountain. "Did you rescue that Crobat?"

"Yeah!" Tackle grinned. "He went back home just before you guys came!"

Daisy sighed with relief. "Good." Then she began the climb.

Once Daisy reached the top of the mountain, it wasn't a pretty sight. There was blood everywhere - on the rocks, the snow, and drops of blood splattered on the ground, leading to one giant cave.

"Disgusting!" a voice hissed from behind Daisy. She spun around to see Tackle, Night, and Storm.

"Why'd you follow me?" Daisy demanded.

Storm grinned. "We managed to scare off the Abamasnows right after you left. Now, let's see whose blood this is."

"Hold on." Tackle looked worried. "Aren't we looking for Sky and Blue?"

For the first time, Daisy realized he was acting serious. Was he that scared that something bad might've happened to the two?

"Just follow the tracks," Storm said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Without waiting for a reply, he hopped on the blood.

"Gross!" Tackle shouted, but he followed him anyway.

Daisy stayed clear of the blood, feeling a little disgusted. She hoped Blue and Sky were okay.

Pretty soon they reached the cave and heard some sort of crying inside. Perking her ears, Daisy recognized the voices of Sky and the whimpering of Blue.

"What's going on?" Storm asked.

Tackle seemed a little more worried than everyone else. "Is that Blue whimpering?"

"Yes." Daisy felt her heart pound. "Let's go in."

"I don't want to!" Tackle shrank back. "I don't want anyone killing me!"

Night whipped around. "You sound like a baby!" he snapped.

_He can talk? _thought Daisy.

Apparently Storm was thinking the same thing. He narrowed his eyes, confused. "Stop being mean. Whoever's in there and hear us."

"Tackle," Daisy said softly," if Blue and Sky are in there, you should check to see what's going on. Maybe you can save Blue if something...happened."

Tackle seemed a little afraid, but he took a step forward. "Okay. Are you guys coming with?"

"Yep," Storm growled.

"Just enter already!" Daisy yelled, pushing Tackle in the cave. Accidentally, she did a somersault in the snow and landed face first on the ground.

Blood soaked her paws as she slowly pushed herself to her feet. Groaning, she slowly looked up, and immediately regretted it.

Blue was laying down with her paws over her face, moaning with pain. Blood poured from a wound on her head. It soaked the ground next to her.

Sky gasped with horror as she saw them. Her face flooded with tears. "I tried to stop him! I did! But it was too late. It's all my fault."

Blue clutched her head, casting an upset glance at Sky.

"Who?" Tackle snapped. His eyes filled with hatred so hard that Daisy flinched.

Storm gasped, also. His fur started to bristle. "What's going on?"

"An Abomasnow hurt her!" Sky yelped. "Now she's dying! If we don't save her-"

"We can't save her," Night growled. "Her injury looks bad."

Tackle walked over to Blue. "No! We can save her!" he shrieked. "We just have to put some cobwebs on it or something!"

"It won't work, Tackle," Storm said, a soft sadness in his eyes. "She'll be dead by the time we find some."

"We could at least try!"

"It wouldn't work no matter what we do. We're too late."

Blue let out a whimpering sound. She glanced up at her friends, a slight sadness in her eyes. Sky choked as she started to cry again.

Tackle walked up to his dying friend, his legs shaking. He sat down and pushed his nose in Blue's fur, crying.

Daisy dipped her head, feeling sadness well up in her. _Not her, too! We just lost Snow! We can't lose Blue!_

Then a voice whispered in her ear. It sounded just like Zeke, but more possessed. _In order to save the world, you lose everything._

_That's dumb! _Daisy wanted to shout, but she managed to control her temper and keep her thoughts to her head. Tears rolled down her face.

"Blue..." Tackle whispered. "I know you're going to die, but... I just wanted to tell you something."

"Tell it already!" Night snapped. "We're going to be late and Flame's gonna send a search party!"

Daisy whipped around to face Night. "Do you even care?!"

Night huffed. "I barely even know Blue."

"You're sick!" Storm narrowed his eyes.

"I love you," someone blurted out. Daisy looked over to her shoulder to see Tackle staring at Blue, making choking sounds as he cried.

Sky covered her face with her hands. "I don't want to hear this," she whimpered.

Blue completely ignored Sky and looked up at Tackle. "Really?" she perked up. "You do?"

"Yes!" Tackle yelled. "I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I was...afraid."

Blue sighed and looked at the ground. "Now you only have a couple of minutes before I breath my last breath. I love you, too, Tackle."

Tackle closed his eyes and cuddled with her, which made Daisy cry harder.

"We have to leave!" Night yelled. He turned away, apparently sick by the romance.

Blue closed her eyes, too, and let her head drop. Her breathing stopped and there was silence around the clearing.

Tackle pushed himself to his paws and sat next to the body, silent. Daisy couldn't tell when he ever was silent besides what was happening right now.

"I'm sorry," Sky whispered. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Storm turned around and let out a huff. Daisy rolled her eyes and walked over to her friend. "It's okay. It's not your fault. You did the best you could."

"But it didn't work!" Sky cried out. "I wasn't strong enough! If I didn't have that stupid curse..." She cut herself off and whimpered.

"Calm, down, Sky," Daisy said, although she was still crying, too. "I'm sorry. But this was her destiny. Besides, it was an accident you got that curse, too."

Sky pouted. "I should've never done that! Maybe Blue wouldn't never have..." Again, she cut herself off and covered her face with her hands.

A silence spread across the cave.

"Do we leave now?" Night crossed his arms. "I swear I'm going to kill myself."

"Shut up!" Tackle sniffled.

Pawsteps sounded from behind the group. Daisy's heart dropped. She wasn't in the mood for a fight and she wasn't going to get one.

As they turned around, surprise lit their eyes as Eclipse and Skye appeared in front of them. "Well?" Eclipse growled. "Are we leaving or not?"


	19. Chapter 18: Solar, Lunar, and Eclipse

Eclipse glared at them, his tail flicking angrily. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Daisy and Storm exchanged a sad glance, but before one of them could speak, Sky jumped in the scene. "Are you blind, Eclipse? Do you even know what just happened?"

Eclipse blinked in confusion, his gaze traveling to the entrance of the cave. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Blue's broken body. "What happened?"

Sky's eyes drooped with sadness. "Abomasnows happened."

Eclipse let out a growl. "Flame will hear when she gets back. Do you want to bury the body here?"

"Never!" Sky yelled. "Someone will carry her!"

An eerie silence fell across the clearing.

"I'm not," Storm grumbled. "I already carried Daisy."

Eclipse looked at him, waiting for the Jolteon to explain, but Tackle replied immediately. "I'll do it." His eyes glittered with unhappiness. "Blue is my friend. I won't let anything happen to her."

The awkward silence started again. Skye broke it by saying, "Let's get going."

Tackle walked over to Blue and picked her up, hanging his head. Either that was from his sadness or Blue was _really _heavy. Groaning, the Bulbasaur sat down and stood up again.

"Too heavy?" Skye said. "I can carry her, if you'd like."

Tackle shook his head. "I'm fine." His voice was muffled from fur around his mouth.

Sky led the way down the cliff, her feet making crunchy sounds as she stepped in the snow. Daisy and Storm darted quickly behind, followed by Tackle, Night, Eclipse, and Skye.

"Well," Skye said in a shaky voice. "That was unexpected."

Eclipse nodded. "Really...unexpected. I didn't know Abomasnows could kill."

"You don't know that!" Sky replied a little too quickly. "I've seen a friend get attacked by one once and he was murdered!"

Eclipse tilted his head. "Who was that? I don't recall anyone being killed by one, Sky. Not until this happened."

"Ayontenes," Sky blurted out. "He was... a great friend." She didn't seem too upset, to Daisy's surprise.

"Who the heck is Yontenes?" Eclipse growled. "I was in a rescue team way before you, Sky, and I don't remember him."

_"Ayontenes," _Sky corrected, growling. "He wasn't part of the Guild or Pidgeot's Training Camp. He was a loner. Ayontenes was with me once and I... I watched him die." She frowned. "The same Abomasnow that killed Blue killed him! Oh, this is all my fault!"

Eclipse leaned over and whispered something in Sky's ear. Sky nodded, and continued to walk as if nothing had happened.

Daisy narrowed her eyes. What was that all about?

Tackle and Storm seemed slightly concerned, too, but Skye's attention was fixed on Smoky Woods, her eyes filled with longing. Daisy realized she was upset about Moon, and her heart also dropped.

"Let's go faster," Sky said. "Before Flame sends another search party."

"Nah, she's not like that," Skye replied, but her voice seemed far away.

Eclipse stomped over to Skye's side, starting to power-walk. "Okay, Skye, stop worrying about Moon," he snapped. "She's probably fine."

"Fine?" Even Daisy flinched as her angry eyes met Eclipse's. "Moon is _not_ fine!" Anger replaced to sadness as she stared at the ground. "I-I want Moon to be alive. I really do. But that Charizard... He was too strong. Moon couldn't have lived."

From the look in Eclipse's eyes, Daisy could tell he was trying to get Skye from being sad all the time, although he also believed Moon was...gone.

"We should've asked the Charizard when he had the chance, but he's dead now," Storm whispered in Daisy's ear.

Daisy turned to him, her ears flicking. "Yeah. I guess it never really went on our minds. Don't tell Skye that or it might make it worse."

Storm nodded. He hesitated as he walked on. "I don't trust Sky, honestly," he said. "Ayontenes - I doubt he's real. I don't even think that's a real name."

"Sounds like gibberish." Daisy chuckled quietly. "I'm suspicious of Sky, too, but no one knows what she's up to."

Storm narrowed his eyes. "You have to find out who's evil and who's not evil, Daisy, or the world is doomed."

"I know," Daisy snapped. "I'll think later. Let's just get out of here first."

They reached Smoky Woods in a matter of seconds. All was quiet as the group padded on, whimpering noises from Tackle at random times.

The only sound was the occasional bird chirping occasionally as it occasionally chirped occasionally.

After another whimper from Tackle, Night had had enough. He stalked over to his partner and spat, "Will you shut up?!"

Tackle shut his mouth immediately. During the walk, Skye had chosen to carry Blue on her back, which wasn't too hard.

Usually, someone would say "Don't be mean" to Night, but now there was just silence. Once Flame found out, she would be devastated.

A blue building was shown in the distance. The group perked up and walked a little bit faster as the forest drew to a close.

By now, they were at the entrance. Daisy wasn't quite used to rescue team buildings having no grates, but then again, this was different. She had to accept it.

As Sky lightly pushed open the door with her paw, a clearing crowded around them.

"We worried about you!" Flame yelled. "What... Oh." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the Minun on Skye's back.

Awe filled the crowd as Blue slipped off Skye. She blinked unhappily and gazed at her paws.

Eclipse flicked his tail. "That happened. Tell them the story, Sky."

Briefly Sky explained what happened from start to finish. Daisy caught her hesitating a little as she told Flame and Pidgeot how Blue's death actually happened. "There was an Abomasnow. I tried to stop him, but... But it was too late. One bite to Blue's head and she was dead." Tears filled Sky's eyes. "I tried to rescue her... It's all my fault!" She fell to her knees and sobbed.

"Sky, it's not your fault," Flame whispered. "You did the best you could."

"Really?" Sky shouted, sounding a little to harsh. "I didn't do enough! I just sat there, too scared to make a move! I just watched as the life flew out of Blue!"

Suddenly the tears stopped. Sky looked around for someone, and Daisy scowled as her eyes met River's. A flash of sympathy shown in his eyes as he walked over to them.

"Say your goodbyes," Flame said to everyone, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I'll be with Pidgeot on her floor."

To Daisy's surprise, River completely ignored Sky and walked up to her. "I knew Sky was the killer..." he muttered.

"Huh?" Daisy tilted her head a little, not fully registering what the Buizel had said.

River shook his head, sighing. "Never mind." He looked in a daze. "I'm sorry about hanging out with Sky. I like her a lot, but... She's kind of mean to you guys."

For some reason, Daisy felt a flash of sadness rush through her as River said he liked Sky a lot. "Do what you want," she found herself saying. "I don't really trust her..." Her voice trailed off. _Could I tell River everything? Do I trust him with my life?_

River walked away. "I have to talk to Sky before she yells at you."

Before Daisy could explain Sky had apologized on the trip, he was gone.

"Daisy!" Kasai walked over to her cheerfully. "Guess what happened to Swift today?"

"What?" Daisy growled. She hated the mention of the stupid weasel, but at least she might have something to laugh at if it was funny.

Kasai seemed to be ignoring the topic of Blue's death. She grinned. "Haunter dared him to go to Smoky Woods at night."

"So?" Daisy couldn't care less if he got himself killed. "What happened?"

"Well, he went there," Kasai replied. "And the strangest thing happened!"

Daisy tilted her head. "What happened?" she repeated.

"He-" Before Kasai could finish, Swift came running over to them.

"Are you telling her stories again?" he snapped, crossing her arms. "I don't go on walks to Smoky Woods unless I'm bored."

"Which you were then," Kasai pointed out.

Swift shot her a glare. "One day I'll throw water at you."

"Stupid weasel," Daisy growled.

Swift turned on her. "Are you talking to me? I'm no weasel! Oh, I'm going to-"

"Shut up, Swift," Kasai snapped.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?"

Daisy rolled her eyes and walked away from them, not wanting to handle Swift's annoying attitude. She bumped into Silver, who was bouncing around happily. "What's so exciting?" she asked.

Silver stopped and stared at Daisy with wide eyes. She smiled. "I'm going on my second rescue mission with Rain!"

Once again Daisy thought about Snow, and her heart ached, missing the kind Mightyena. "That's great. Where are you going?"

"To where I used to live. Sapphire Beach," Silver answered.

_Is she trying to keep the conversation away from Snow? _thought Daisy. "That's cool. Who are you rescuing?"

Silver shrugged. "Rain wouldn't let me see the letter. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

Daisy grinned, happy for the Poochyena. "I hope you have fun."

Silver did another bounce. "Rescue missions are always fun~!" She eyed Daisy cheerfully. "Why wouldn't they be?"

"Sometimes they're dangerous," Daisy warned. "Like this one. We lost Blue."

Silver frowned, though her eyes didn't betray any sadness. She never knew Blue. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"No, it's fine," Daisy replied, but she really didn't want to bring this conversation to her dead friend.

Silver looked at her paws. "Well, I should get back to Rain now..." She sounded a little awkward.

Daisy nodded, watching as she ran over to the replacement member of Team Flash. Her head hung low as she walked over to the elevator, immediately remembering about the blue stone. During the explosion, she had found it lying under a pile of rubble. Surprisingly, it didn't seem hurt. Now it was under Swift's bed. Hopefully he'd never find it.

"Daisy?" someone called.

Daisy spun around, meeting Storm's eyes. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"To my room." Daisy didn't even notice how sleepy she was until her eyes started to droop. "I'm tired."

Storm shrugged. "It may be late, but I'm not tired." Daisy chuckled a little as he yawned. "Okay, maybe I am. But I'm going to talk to River and Sky."

"Why do you want to talk to them?" Daisy growled, stepping a back a little to get to the elevator.

Storm frowned. "I just want to see what they're up to. You told me to keep out for Eclipse and the other suspicious Pokemon, remember?"

Daisy nodded. "Okay, you can do that." Something told her that wasn't all Storm was going to do, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind and hit Floor 13.

The elevator immediately shot up. Daisy's teeth chattered as she passed all of the other floors. _I forgot it was this quick!_

Once she reached Swift's room, she took a step toward his bed and cast a glance under it. The blue stone was still there, luckily, wrapped in a pile of blankets. Without thinking, Daisy touched her nose to it and was immediately sucked into a vision.

She sat in Smoky Woods, the trees around her suddenly seeming ten times their normal size. Her fur began to bristle as Eclipse and Night walked out.

"Hello, Night," Eclipse said evenly, his eyes darting to every direction as if he didn't want anyone to see what he was about to do.

Night stared at him blankly. "Why bring me here?"

"I don't want you to kill yourself." Eclipse's frown turned into a smirk. "I have a better idea."

Night tilted his head. "What do you want?"

Eclipse spat out, "I want you to help me kill all the other humans one by one. Once Darkrai rises, the word will be chaos. Starting with..." His eyes rolled over on Daisy. "...her."

Daisy was so frightened, she didn't hear what Night said next. Within a split second, she ran to Pidgeot's Training Camp, and the vision drew to a close.

Daisy was standing back on Floor 13, her fur fluffed up to twice her size and her heart pounding rapidly. Now she knew that Eclipse was evil, and he would take Night with him.

Daisy sat with her tail wrapped around her paws as she watched the Ninetails and Umbreon be given their team name.

"What's your name?" Skye asked, seeming slightly interested in the Ninetails one.

"Frosty," he announced proudly.

The shiny Umbreon walked up to them, looking pretty small for his age. He came up to Skye and grinned. "I'm Angel!"

"I'm Skye," Skye answered, but she wasn't keeping her eyes off of Frosty.

"Hello." Daisy jumped to her paws and walked over to them. "I'm Daisy."

Angel looked at her, apparently surprised to find someone of his kind. "U-um, hi there."

"You're Angel, right?" Daisy asked.

Angel nodded. "Me and Frosty always wanted to join the Guild, but we saw it was bombed... Eclipse and Night found us and took us here."

Before Daisy could reply, Flame and Pidgeot walked over to them, Pidgeot seeming a little happy that they gained a rescue team. _I hope she knows Angel and Frosty wanted to join the Guild instead..._

"So," Pidgeot called. "What do you want your team name to be called?"

"Uh, Pidgeot," Flame said. "If they wanted to join the Guild, they need to be taught our rules. I give them the team name."

Pidgeot ruffled her feathers. "Oh, sorry." Her eyes flashed with anger at the mention of the Guild, then went back to normal. "Your team name will be Team Gay."

"Pidgeot!" Flame replied, trying to control her temper. "I give them the team name, not you. Your name will be Team Moon."

Angel and Frosty looked at each other, whispering in each other's ears for quite some time. Finally, Angel looked up at Flame, frowning. "I like Team Gay better."

Flame shot Pidgeot a glare. "Please follow the rules, Angel."

Angel shook his head. "I want to be called Team Gay. Me and Frosty are happy all the time, so it suits us!" he said cheerfully.

Pidgeot shrugged. "It's a nice name, don't you think?" She looked over at Flame.

Flame sighed. "I guess I'll give it to you this time. But Angel, Frosty, please don't try to disobey the rules again. It won't happen."

Angel grinned. "We won't!"

"Good." Flame frowned.

Pidgeot glared at Angel, narrowing her eyes.

Angel didn't notice. He was looking at Frosty, eyes glittering. "When's our first rescue mission?" he asked cheerfully.

Flame shrugged. "Not right away. Most likely in a couple of days or tomorrow. You can't expect a rescue team to have fun right away."

That didn't seem to make Angel unhappy. He just nodded. "Okay!"

"Do what you want," Pidgeot growled. "We'll be watching you to make sure you don't break any rules."

"We won't!" Angel repeated.

Frosty just rolled his eyes.

Angel didn't seem to care. He eyed around warily, his eyes spotted on Sky and River. Daisy froze as he started walking toward them, Frosty following quickly behind. _Sky's still talking to River?! _She glared at the Pachirisu. _She promised!_

"Why are you looking all mad?" Skye asked.

Daisy spun around. "Nothing," she lied. "I'm not mad."

Skye looked at her some more, then walked over to Eclipse.

Angrily, Daisy stalked over to Sky. She seemed to be arguing with River.

"Why would you kill her?" River growled.

"I _didn't_!" Sky protested. "The Abomasnow did! Why would you think I killed Blue? I would never do that!"

River looked at her. "I'm not dumb. I smelled Blue's blood on you. Clearly you were fighting her."

Sky opened her mouth to protest, but River jumped up and walked away. Before Daisy could follow, Sky got out of her seat, too, and chased after him.

"Where are you going?" she snarled, menace in her voice. "We never argue without making up, River. I need you," she continued urgently.

"I don't," River snapped.

"What are you guys talking about?" Angel asked.

River whipped around. "Oh, you must be the new team."

Sky stared at them. "You can learn our names later. We have things to talk about," she promised.

Before Angel could speak, Daisy got in between them. "What are you doing?" she hissed to Sky. "You promised you wouldn't talk to River!"

Sky blinked. "Did you overhear our conversation?"

"Some of it!" Daisy snapped. "Did you really kill Blue?"

Sky looked offended. "I would never do that! How dare you?"

"That's what it seemed like," Daisy snarled. "I never should've trusted you."

Sky's shoulders sank. "Daisy," she said sweetly, "I'll never talk to River ever again. I promise."

"Yeah, right!" Daisy growled. "And I'll never believe you!"

River looked over at Sky, crossing his arms. "We have... things to talk about, Daisy. I'm pretty sure Sky might never talk to me after this..."

"I think Daisy should hear what you have to say!" Sky shouted, blocking Daisy's view from the elevator.

"I'm not listening to you fight," Daisy huffed.

"But it's important!" Sky said in a fake unhappy voice.

Daisy rolled her eyes, but looked over at River anyway. "What do you want?"

"Uh," River stuttered. "Nothing much..."

"Oh, it's important!" Sky pushed him lightly. "You have to tell her!"

River sighed. "I can't, or-"

Sky seemed to lose her patience, because right then she shouted, "He's working for Darkrai!"

Time seemed to freeze as Daisy looked at River. She didn't even care that Angel and Frosty were watching. River, one of Daisy's best friends, was evil.

"I'm not!" River protested. "I mean, I hear voices telling me to kill every once in a while, and I'm dazed because I feel like someone's trying to control my body."

"Who?" Daisy asked, feeling a little bit better now that she knew River wasn't possessed or anything.

Before River could reply, Frosty came up to them. "Wait, you're working for Darkrai?!" His jaw dropped in shock.

"No!" River hissed. "Sky worded it wrong. You heard what I said, someone's trying to take over my body and make me evil. It's not fully there yet, and with Sky's help, I figured out what was going on pretty quick."

"So that's what you were talking about all the time - being possessed by Darkrai?" Daisy asked.

"Yes," answered River. "It wasn't anything you're thinking." He narrowed his eyes. "That's gross."

Daisy laughed lightly. River was right; she was thinking that they were talking about romance. At least River had no feelings for Sky, or none that she knew of.

Angel stared at him. "Wait, so you're gonna get possessed? That's so cool! When? Will you turn evil? Are you gonna kill everyone? Are you-"

"No, I'm not going to get possessed." River sighed deeply, trying to control his temper. "I'm trying to be possessed, by someone, but it's not working yet. How many times have I said this?"

"Stop saying someone." Daisy frowned. "Who exactly is trying to possess you?"

River glanced at her. "About that..." He sighed. "If I tell you, he will..." Suddenly he paused and glanced at his paws.

"Do what?" Daisy asked urgently.

"You have to find out yourself what he is, Daisy," River said. "Unless you want me joining Darkrai already."

"And you have to stop him from turning evil, too," Sky reminded Daisy. Her eyes were filled with sadness. "I promise I won't talk to River, okay?" she whispered.

Daisy's heart pounded. For a moment she wondered if she should believe Sky or not, but then the door opened. She and the others spun around, looking at the door with curious eyes.

"There's no one there..." River said.

To Daisy's surprise, a Mightyena walked in. Her eyes were chocolate brown and her fur was a little messy.

Eclipse almost dropped to the ground in surprise. "Who..."

"My name's Crystal," the Mightyena said. "I was wondering if I could join a rescue team with someone?"

Flame didn't answer. She was staring at her with surprise.

"Am I too ugly?" Crystal frowned. "I didn't clean much today."

"No, no, you're fine. You just remind me of a... Guild member we had earlier." Flame sighed, shaking her head.

Crystal tilted her head. "Guild? I wanted to join Pidgeot's Training Camp."

"You didn't hear the Guild got bombed?"

Crystal shrugged. "I don't go out much. I thought joining Pidgeot's Training Camp could improve my fighting and talking skills."

Daisy laughed a little.

Eclipse shuffled his paws nervously, trying not to meet Crystal's eyes.

"Why are you looking all weird?" Angel asked. "It's just a Mightyena..."

"She just looks like someone we used to know," Daisy reminded him. "A lot like someone we used to know..."

Angel stared at her curiously, then looked back at Crystal.

"She's ugly!" Swift yelled from the corner.

Kasai was next to him. She rolled her eyes. "You're rude, Swift."

Haunter, on his left side, just disappeared. Swift kicked the ground where he was at a second before. "You little sh*t!"

Pidgeot's eyes narrowed. "Did I just hear you use a swear, Swift?"

Swift covered his mouth with his hands.

"We don't use swear words in my training camp, sir. If I hear another insult out of you, you'll go to the dungeon."

Swift flinched.

"The what?" Daisy couldn't fully register what Pidgeot had said. She was staring at Swift. "Huh...?"

Swift looked at his paws. "Sorry, Pidgeot."

Kasai whispered something in his ear, which made Swift flinch even more. Daisy's heart pounded. What was going on? Swift never acted scared.

"Well, ignore that," Pidgeot said with a frown. She looked at Crystal. "Which team do you want to join?"

Crystal's eyes scanned the room, until they stopped at Team Flash. _Coincidence much?_

Rain took a step back, not keeping his eyes off of Crystal. "Uh...um..."

"That's a Guild rescue team," Pidgeot said, sounding a little bored. "Hurry up."

While Crystal was looking over the teams, Daisy turned back to River and Sky. "This is Angel and Frosty."

"I'm River." River waved excitedly.

Sky yawned. "I'm Sky."

"Cool names!" Angel grinned. "Mine's dumb."

"No, it isn't," Sky retorted. "It means you're nice."

Angel just rolled his eyes and turned away. "I can't wait for tomorrow. I'll choose a mission right away."

"Have you forgotten about me?" Frosty seemed offended. "I don't want to start right away."

Angel stretched. "You're boring!" he complained. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Frosty glared at Angel. "We'll talk to Flame or Pidgeot about when we take the next mission, okay?"

Angel huffed. "Eh. Fine." He looked back at Sky and River. "It's getting late. Hey, River, can we sleep with your team tonight? Pidgeot and Flame never told us who we were sleeping with."

River frowned. "We're sleeping with Team Pluto, but I guess you can if you want. I think you need to ask permission first, though."

"Okay!" Angel buzzed off without waiting for a response from Frosty.

Frosty gave him an annoyed glare before turning around to River. "Is Team Pluto nice?"

River shrugged. "They're okay. They sleep a lot, so they won't really annoy you. I think you'll have a good time."

"Can we sleep on the beds?"

River hesitated before shaking his head. "You get blankets, though. They're nice enough to give you some."

Frosty sighed with relief. "I can't wait when the Guild gets fixed, then me and Angel will get our own rooms."

River laughed. "It's way better than this. You're gonna have to get used to the grate, though, because this training camp doesn't have one."

"The grate?"

"I'll tell you later." River sighed. "The Guild won't be fixed for a long time."

Daisy noticed Sky glaring at them, her eyes looking cross. "River, we have to talk."

River looked at Sky worriedly. "Do we have to talk every second of the day, Sky?"

Sky looked a little hurt. "I didn't kill Blue, if that's what you're thinking! Stop accusing me!"

River just turned away. "Right." He looked at Daisy. "Do you want to go for a walk...? I know it's late, but we could look at the stars."

Daisy's heart filled with happiness that River was talking to her again, although she didn't know why. "Yeah."

As she pushed open the door with River behind her, a voice whispered in her head. _Kill._

Startled, Daisy leaped back, glancing around the room until her eyes met Eclipse's. He was staring at her with an angry look. _What's happening? Was that... Eclipse's voice in my head?_

"Daisy? Something wrong?" River asked.

Daisy moaned and shook her head. "Everything's fine. Let's go." She stepped into the grass and looked up at the sky. "It's beautiful..."

"Yeah. It is." River looked as if he was about to tell her more, but he stopped and sighed. "Look, Daisy, you heard me say I'm being possessed, right?"

"Yes..."

River frowned. "You know who Zeke is?"

Daisy blinked. "What about him?"

"Well... The Guild's gone. Do you think he make it?"

Daisy looked at him, shocked. "Of course he would make it! He's a ghost; he can probably make it through anything."

"Do you think Floor 6 made it?"

This made Daisy hesitate. She wasn't so sure that Floor 6 would come back, but she didn't really care, either. That haunted room frightened her; she met Zeke in that room and every time it made her feel uncomfortable.

As they walked, Daisy finally whispered, "No."

An awkward silence surrounded them.

Bushes rustled behind them, and Daisy froze as she realized they were walking into Smoky Woods. "River, we should-"

A blue and white flash knocked her over and leaped away almost immediately. "You!" she growled.

Daisy blinked her red eyes, staring in surprise at the Pokemon she just saw. "Sky, what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing with my River?" Sky challenged.

"We're just on a w-walk," Daisy stuttered. Her heart pounded incredibly fast as she took a step back from the Pachirisu she had once called her friend.

Sky narrowed her eyes to slits, a snarl in her voice even Daisy had never heard before. Her voice seemed to be three at once; hers, Zeke's, and Eclipse's: "You don't belong in this world."

"What are you talking about?" Daisy gasped out.

River took a step forward, glaring at Sky. "You killed Blue."

"No!" Sky protested. "Shut up! The blood you smelled that smelled like me was just me trying to protect her!" Tears lit her eyes. "I was just trying to protect her!" she repeated.

River looked at her. "Maybe..she's right..." He glanced at Daisy. "She sounds so convincing..."

"It's true!" Sky sniffled.

Daisy looked at River, her eyes widening. How could he believe that murderer?

River looked back to Sky. "I need time to think, okay?" His shoulders drooped. "I don't know who to believe..." Without looking at Daisy, he walked back to the Guild.

Sky watched him go, then glared at Daisy. "It's not working," she suddenly said.

"What?"

Sky covered her mouth with her hands, as if she realized she just said something she shouldn't have said.

Daisy looked at her, confused. "Tell me what you're talking about."

"If I tell you... I'll have to kill you." Sky grinned as she went on. "River is one of you guys. I thought I loved him, since he was evil like me, but he changed. Again. So I'm going to kill him. After I kill you."

"Wait, what-"

"Time to die." Sky reached behind her back, grabbing a long gray knife with blood stains on it. She smirked. "No one will save you this time."

Daisy screeched as Sky hurtled the blade toward her, and she ducked her head just in time to see the knife land in the grass behind her.

"Who else did you kill?!" Daisy choked out as she glanced at the blood stains.

Sky rolled her eyes. "That's not for me to say. You're not going to get out alive." She darted like lightning behind Daisy and grabbed the knife.

Daisy's heart pounded. "Why do you want me to die so much, Sky? Don't you remember when we were friends?"

Sky dropped the knife. She looked down at the blood stains on it and a large shudder passed through her. Her eyes flashed red and a voice that didn't sound like hers growled, "It's too late."


	20. Chapter 19: Reincarnation

Light shone through the windows as Daisy opened her eyes. She stared at her paws, hardly remembering that she actually got some sleep. The memory of what happened with Sky and River flickered back in her mind, and her heart thumped in her chest. Was Sky really evil or was someone controlling her?

A yawn from beside her startled Daisy and she looked back at Kasai. "You're awake?"

"Yeah." Kasai shrugged. "What time is it?"

"There's no clock in here," Daisy replied. "It's probably very early."

Kasai looked at Swift's and Haunter's beds. "Wake up!" she yelled.

Swift groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up. "Did you _have _to do that?"

Kasai smiled. "Let's go downstairs to see if the others are awake."

"Nah, I'd rather go back to sleep." Swift sank under the covers some more, but Haunter was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Haunter?" Daisy asked.

"Who knows?" Kasai lightly shrugged. "He's probably somewhere being invisible."

"He's always like that," Swift growled. "Can you stop talking?"

Kasai glared at him. "I can talk if I want!" she retorted. "Can we go downstairs, Daisy? He's being annoying."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "He's always annoying."

Swift jumped off his bed and headed toward the elevator. "Fine, I'll come with."

"Why do you want to come with?" Kasai snapped. "I thought you hated us."

Swift ignored her, just pressed the Floor One button. Kasai and Daisy quickly followed. If Haunter went with them, he showed no sign of it.

When they reached the first floor, Daisy was surprised to see Flame, Pidgeot, Eclipse, Skye, Frosty, and Angel already there.

"Hey!" Angel looked cheerful as he saw them. "Team Waterfall and Team Pluto wouldn't wake up."

Frosty nodded. "Pidgeot decided we could share a room with them. They're not that bad."

"Lucky." Daisy frowned. "Swift's annoying, and Haunter's never there. I think Chansey's still sleeping."

"We left her there?"

Daisy nodded. "I saw her under the bed."

"Oh...crap..." Kasai took a step toward the elevator.

Swift laughed. "She'll come here when she's ready."

Frosty looked at Kasai, confused. "Is she someone from your team?"

Kasai nodded. "You've never met her." She glanced at Pidgeot. "Hey, when does breakfast start?" she called.

"Twenty minutes," Pidgeot chirped.

"That's long!" Swift groaned. "I'm hungry."

"Stop complaining!" Kasai whacked him on the head. "You'll get food soon."

Swift glared at Kasai, but didn't respond. He just crossed his arms and looked at the elevator. The Sneasel seemed lost in thought.

"Is anything wrong?" Angel walked up to him, frowning.

Swift stared at him. "No..."

Angel glared at him. "I know Pokemon more than they think, Swift. What's wrong?"

Swift looked awkwardly at the others. "There's nothing wrong, Angel," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Angel narrowed his eyes. "I can help."

Daisy watched the conversation with interest. She never knew Angel was so good at reading people's thoughts. "Yeah, what's the problem?"

Swift whipped around to face Daisy. "It's none of your concern!" he growled. "N-nothing's wrong, okay?"

Kasai frowned at him, tilting her head. "You look pretty upset."

Swift glared at Kasai again. "Shut up. I'm not upset."

Angel and Daisy both rolled their eyes. "You're never usually upset, Swift," Daisy pointed out. "This is pretty strange of you to act like this."

Swift flexed his claws. "Stop bothering me, okay?" He stormed away, but looked over his shoulder to give them the middle finger.

Kasai narrowed her eyes. "He did seem pretty weird."

Before Daisy could reply, the elevator opened. She spun around to notice Chansey.

"Why'd you guys leave me here?" Chansey asked. "I got really confused."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Kasai frowned. "We kinda forgot about you."

Something roared behind the teams, and Daisy looked over her shoulder at Flame. The door was wide open. Her fur bristled a little.

"Sorry!" Storm yelled as he walked in. "I went on a walk..."

"A walk by yourself?" Daisy felt a little guilty she forgot about him, but she did share a room with a lot of friends, so she could understand.

"Yeah." Storm frowned. "I just wanted some time alone." He looked a little defensive, but the look faded away as he stared at Swift. "What's wrong with him?"

Daisy faced Swift, who was sitting in the corner, glaring at the wall. "I don't know. He seems upset, but he keeps on denying it."

"He's upset," Angel told Storm. "But he's hiding it."

Kasai glanced at Swift. "Why won't he tell us?" Her ear flicked worriedly.

"Go talk to him," Daisy said. "Maybe he'll tell you if you can convince him."

Kasai seemed hesitant. "I guess..." She looked at Swift once more, before walking over to him.

Kasai reached Swift, who was still glaring at the wall. He turned as he saw her and narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Kasai frowned. "I just want to know what's wrong."

Swift looked away. "Stop bothering me. Nothing's wrong. Who the hell sent you?" he snapped.

"Daisy," Kasai replied. "Tell me."

Swift shook his head. "No. Nothing."

Before Kasai could reply, Haunter materialized beside Swift. "What are you two talking about?" he asked.

Swift turned to glare at him. "It's none of your business."

Haunter rolled his eyes. "Then stop talking to Kasai and get over here! Breakfast starts in fifteen minutes!"

Swift sighed. "We don't have to go to the tables already, Haunter. Can't you wait?"

Kasai gave Haunter the death glare for interrupting her sentence, and she turned to Swift. "I'll talk to you later." Without waiting for a reply, she stormed off.

"So did he tell you what was wrong?" Angel asked once she reached him.

Kasai shook her head. "He keeps denying it, and then Haunter interrupted me, so now I can't talk to Swift at all."

Angel frowned. "Talk to him when Haunter's not around. Maybe if you convince him he'll tell you."

"Probably not. No one can convince Swift."

"We'll see." Angel looked away. Kasai noticed the elevator had opened, and Crystal walked out, along with a Tepig and Zorua.

The Zorua immediately bounced over to Pidgeot. "Pidgeot!" he said excitedly. "Crystal decided to join our team!"

Pidgeot grinned, ruffling her feathers. "That's good for you, Stone. Magma, Crystal, come over here, please."

The Tepig and Mightyena walked over to her, while Kasai padded away. This wasn't something worth seeing. It would just be a waste of her time.

Then again, she was bored... Kasai pricked her ears and stared at the window. Some commotion was going on outside. Her fur bristled slightly, but before she could check to see what was going on, the elevator opened once more.

Sky walked out alone, her tail drooping. "Flame?" she whispered.

Unfortunately, the Charizard didn't seem to hear, so Sky had to speak a bit more louder. "Flame?"

Flame turned, twitching her ear as she glanced at Sky. "I wanted to talk to you, too, Sky."

"I don't have a rescue team anymore... What do you think I should do?"

Flame shook her head. "Sky, your only choices are to leave the Guild or join another rescue team. You're not Team Sun anymore."

Sky's head drooped with her tail. "How about Team Vine?" she blurted out. "Tackle was the other closest friend to Blue."

Kasai narrowed her eyes. Daisy had told her Blue and Sky fought a lot, but something seemed a little convincing in Sky's tone, so maybe she should trust this Pachirisu.

"I will talk to them about it later," Flame reminded her. "Right now I have to speak with Team Violet."

"Who?" Sky asked, but Flame had already left, leaving Sky staring after her.

Trying not to think about the Pachirisu, Kasai walked over to the window again. But the movement had gone.

Trees filled the clearing; the only sound was the song of the wind. Stars flickered in the night sky. The moon was bright as its reflection appeared on the lake. An Umbreon and a Vaporeon were seated in the reeds next to the lake, and they seemed to be whispering to each other urgently.

"No, Star." The Vaporeon shook her head. "I don't believe we should tell her this."

The Umbreon, Star, dipped her head. Her yellow rings glowed softly as she stared up at her friend. "Don't worry, Stream. It's for the best. If we let her know she's reincarnated, there won't be many secrets left." Her eyes shone with sadness. "I should let Eclipse know, too, before he gets any worse."

The Vaporeon, Stream, gazed at her for a moment. "Do what you want," she whispered. "I should try finding Pidgeot's Rescue Camp to join a rescue team or something."

"Very well." Star nodded. "I shall meet her and Eclipse in a dream and tell her everything before things start to get... worse."

"What kind of worse?" Stream's tail flicked anxiously as she stood up.

The ghostly Umbreon's eyes dropped to the ground. "Eclipse is gaining more friends," she replied. "He might even be able to convince River to join him. I don't know why, but he's getting the humans. There's no way the world will be saved if we don't stop him from convincing the other humans."

"Yes, he is a clever one," Stream said. "I think if you meet him, he might be able to be convinced. He loves you, you know."

Star didn't reply. Her ghostly form faded away quickly. Before she could disappear, she spoke one last word: "Farewell."

A shudder passed through Daisy as Kasai came back from talking to Swift. Expecting the conversation to not have worked, she walked over to her friend. "How'd it go?"

"He won't tell me," Kasai huffed. "And just when I thought I could be able to convince him, Haunter came over and interrupted me."

Daisy sighed. "I'm pretty sure there's something going on, but maybe he's getting annoyed. Maybe we shouldn't disturb him."

Kasai tilted her head. "Why not? If he keeps on acting strange, there might be a problem."

Daisy remembered about the dungeon Pidgeot talked about. She shuddered again. "Hey, Kasai, do you remember when Pidgeot threatened Swift to go to the dungeon?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Do you have any clue what that is? I was also thinking it might relate to Swift's problem."

Kasai's shoulders drooped. "I'm starting to think there's no problem. And I don't know what it is; I'm a Guild member, not a Pidgeot's Training Camp member."

"Oh. We could ask Swift."

Kasai turned to the Sneasel. He was sitting at a table with Haunter, looking pretty pissed. "I don't think he'd like having to be disturbed again, Daisy."

The Umbreon sighed. "Maybe we could ask another Pidgeot's Training Camp member."

"Like who?"

Daisy's eyes drifted to Team Pluto. Lucky, the Lillipup, and Grace, the Swanna, were talking to each other. "Maybe them," she suggested.

Kasai yawned. "Good idea." Before Daisy could reply, she padded across the clearing toward the two.

Lucky turned toward Kasai, confused. "What do you want?"

"It's Kasai," the Flareon replied. "Do you have any idea what the dungeon is?"

Lucky looked startled. He glanced at Grace worriedly; she gave him a nod. Lucky walked over to Kasai. "Don't mention this to anyone, especially Pidgeot or Flame. I might get in trouble." He hesitated. "I know what the dungeon is, though." He looked at Grace again. "First of all, why do you need to know?"

"We're just curious," Daisy said. "And a bit worried. Pidgeot said she'd take Swift to the dungeon if he swore. Something like that."

"I heard," Lucky said slowly. He frowned. "The dungeon is underground. It's where the bad Pokemon go. If you go there... you never come back. A Blaziken fought a Mudkip in here once, and he got sent to the dungeon." Lucky dipped his head. "We never saw him again."

Kasai seemed pretty frightened. "We don't want that happening to Swift."

Daisy stared at her. _I thought she hated him._ "You're right, I guess, but he can be quite annoying."

Kasai whipped around to face Daisy. "And he's a friend!" she defended the Sneasel. "You can't wish for someone to die if he's just annoying you."

Daisy took a step back, surprised at the Flareon's attitude. "Calm down; I never said I wanted him to die, Kasai." She hated to get in an argument with a good friend. "Anyway, thanks for the help, Lucky. We'll be careful from now on... and hopefully Swift."

Kasai nodded. "Also, one more question." She leaned forward. "Is the Blaziken still alive?"

Lucky shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I've never been in the dungeon. The Mudkip's alive, now. Swamp. She's in a rescue team right now."

"Like we needed to know that," Daisy said impatiently. "Come on, Kasai. Breakfast is starting soon."

Kasai still seemed slightly interested in the Blaziken and Mudkip, but when Daisy pushed her to a table, she didn't complain.

Sure enough, the bell rang a couple minutes after. Meatloaf was on their plates this time, and Daisy stared at the food hungrily. "Kasai, did you eat this?"

"What is it?" Kasai recoiled back, glaring at the food. "It looks disgusting."

"Meatloaf!" Daisy smiled. "It's really good."

"Okay, if you say so." Kasai stuck her tongue out as she took a bite out of the meatloaf. "Ish rally good," she said in between chewing.

Daisy laughed. "I told you it was good!"

Kasai rolled her eyes, but didn't reply.

They sat there in awkward silence for a while, until the bell rang. Daisy nearly flinched out of her seat.

Kasai laughed. "Scared of the bell?" she teased.

"Shut up," Daisy huffed, but her eyes were twinkling. "Kasai, I need to talk to you about something."

The Flareon walked up to her. "What is it?" she questioned, tilting her head.

"I was wondering if you wanted to explore the dungeon," Daisy explained. "See if that Blaziken is still there."

Kasai nearly jumped out of her skin. "Are you kidding?!"

Daisy shook her head. "I'm just curious."

"Well...I guess, if you want to. But we have to make sure no one finds out."

"Finds out about what?" Swift's voice sounded behind them.

Kasai backed away. "U-uh, nothing, Swift..."

Swift crossed his arms. "I hate secrets! Why don't you guys tell me?"

Daisy decided it was best to tell him, since you could never win an argument with Swift. "Me and Kasai were going to explore the dungeon. Probably tomorrow night or something. Please don't-"

Swift's eyes sparkled. "Can I come with?!"

Daisy sweatdropped, shooting a glance at Kasai.

Kasai shrugged. "You have to make sure you don't tell anyone else, okay, Swift?"

"I won't." Behind that cheerful expression, Daisy could see fear._ What is that about?_

"So, tomorrow night?" asked Kasai.

Daisy nodded. "Unless you want it to be tonight."

Kasai shrugged. "I really don't care."

Swift didn't seem like he wanted to go right away, so Daisy said, "Tomorrow night, then."

Swift sighed with relief, then shook his head as if he was speaking to himself. "I can't wait!" he said cheerfully.

Daisy laughed. "You looked like you didn't want to go."

"It's true, I don't want to see the prisoners. I've never been there before, though. Tomorrow's the time we find out."

"The only reason I'm going is because I'm curious." Daisy shrugged. "If Pidgeot finds out, we'll be reported to Flame, and you will be going to the dungeon."

Swift flinched. "What?!"

"We don't know exactly, but Daisy might be right," Kasai warned. "So try to be sneaky, and don't let anyone else hear our conversation."

"Okay, you got me. I won't tell anyone." Swift shuddered.

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "So you were going to tell someone before we said that?"

"Wha-No! I keep my friend's secrets!" Swift scowled. "Did I sound like I was going to?"

"Yeah."

Swift rolled his eyes. "Well, I wasn't. You can trust me, you know."

"I don't," Daisy said simply.

"That's good to hear." Swift didn't seem too affected.

Suddenly, a small flame burned right in front of Daisy. Flinching, the Umbreon turned to see Flame's son, Golden, standing an inch away.

"You're learning how to use attacks!" Daisy smiled. "You didn't mean that on purpose, right?"

Golden shook his head, grinning. "Mother taught me."

"That's good and all, but you should go back to Flame," Kasai said with a frown.

"Why can't I explore the training camp?" Golden complained. "It's completely safe!"

"She just doesn't want you around," Swift said loudly, making Kasai turn around to glare at him.

Daisy laughed. "That's probably true. Don't be mean to Golden, guys." She looked at the Charmander. "You can visit any time you like. I don't think Kasai likes children."

"I did not say that!" Kasai huffed.

"You don't," Swift argued.

Kasai glared at him some more. "I love children. I just don't like when Golden shoots out fire and scares us like that. He's really strong."

Golden smiled. "Thank you!"

"I really don't think she meant that as a compliment, but whatever," Swift said with a shrug.

Kasai slapped him with her paw. "Shut up! You're gonna make Golden hate me."

Silver trotted up to them, wagging her tail. "Hey, guys!" she said excitedly.

Swift looked at Silver and groaned. "More Pokemon? Jeez, it's like the whole Guild is coming over here!"

"More children," Daisy giggled at Kasai.

Kasai turned to her. "Do you want to get slapped like Swift?" she growled.

Daisy shook her head, but her eyes were still filled with laughter.

"Then don't say that, because I love children!" Kasai turned back to Silver. "Hi~"

Silver wagged her tail again. "There's no one to talk to," she said with a huff. "Rain's too busy talking to Crystal, and everyone else wouldn't even look at me when I tried to talk to them."

"You can talk to us," Golden said cheerily.

Silver stared at him in disgust. "Of course, everyone likes talking to you because you're the leader's son."

Golden widened his eyes, a hurtful expression in them.

"Don't be rude, Silver," Kasai said. "He's trying to be nice, you know."

Silver sighed. "Yeah. But no one wants to talk to me."

"I'm pretty sure Rain would talk to you if you said hi to him," Daisy pointed out. "Unless he was doing something too important."

"Yeah. He said it was important. I don't know why it would be important; Crystal's new and she doesn't seem like someone to share news with."

Daisy frowned. "True. I think it's maybe because she looks like Snow a lot."

"Don't talk about her," Silver snarled.

It seemed as if Silver had a whole new personality. Her eyes were narrowed and her fur was bristled until she was twice her size. Suddenly, she calmed down and sat on her paws. "Sorry. I just don't like to remember her. It makes me sad," she barked awkwardly.

"It makes us all sad," said Daisy. _Probably not Eclipse, _she thought, but she didn't dare say it out loud.

"I should go now." Silver sighed, her expression showing that she was upset. "I want to see what Rain and Crystal were talking about. Bye."

Daisy nodded. "It might be good to know. Bye, Silver."

"Bye~!" Golden said. He still seemed to be excited.

After Kasai and Swift said their goodbyes, Silver went skipping to Rain's side. She was right, he did seem to be talking to Crystal urgently. Daisy narrowed her eyes. What could their conversation be about?

"Anyways," Swift said, "what do you guys want to do?"

"I'm just gonna see if there's any rescue teams available," Kasai replied. "I'm terribly bored."

"Good idea." Daisy stretched her legs, suddenly realizing how tired she was. "But I don't want to right now."

Kasai looked at her. "Why not?"

Daisy shrugged. "I guess I'm too tired."

"That's fine." Kasai turned toward Swift. "Swift, do you want to come with on a rescue team mission?"

Swift shook his head. "Ew, why would I want to go with you?"

"Stop with the mean stuff. That doesn't work on me."

"Fine, I'll go."

Well, at least Swift seemed to feel better. Daisy laughed as the two padded off to the mission board.

Daisy looked around. Everyone else seemed to be talking to each other. Even Silver managed to speak with Rain. Crystal was waiting patiently next to them.

Sighing, she walked over to the elevator, wondering if Storm was in their room. Ever since he came back from his walk, she couldn't find him anywhere.

She stepped on the elevator and pressed Floor 13. The elevator shot up like a speeding bullet, as it always did, but this time Daisy was ready. She clung to the floor and gritted her teeth. It took less than ten seconds when the elevator opened.

Unfortunately, Storm was still nowhere to be found. Daisy looked under the bed to see the blue stone safely hidden underneath. Smiling, she tensed her muscles and leaped on the bed. Hopefully Swift would be on his rescue mission and not go in his room, or he would be pretty ticked off.

Daisy curled up under the covers, and with a small sigh, drifted off.

The green grass seemed to glow, flickering brightly as Daisy walked in the field. _Is this a dream? _she wondered. _Why else would I be here? I don't remember going here at all._

An image of an Umbreon suddenly appeared before her. Daisy shrieked and took a few steps back. This Umbreon looked exactly like her.

The Umbreon dipped her head. "Greetings, Daisy," she whispered. Luckily, her voice wasn't the same. It was prettier. "I'm Star."

"Oh...You're Star." Daisy tilted her head. "What are you doing here?"

Star smiled. "I have to come to tell you your past."

"What do you mean?" Daisy stared at her as if she'd come from another planet. _Past?_

"I mean that you are me. Reincarnated."

There was a silence. Daisy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mind went blank and she stared at Star, eyes wide.

Star looked back at her with a calm expression. "I figured it was time to tell you. We can't keep everything secrets, can we? Or there would be too many betrayals."

"Why did you just tell me now?" Daisy managed to gasp out quickly.

Fortunately, Star comprehended what she was saying. "It was the right time to tell you," she repeated. "I just said that."

"Oh, uh - Sorry." Daisy still couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Reincarnated? But I was a human before I turned into a Pokemon! I wasn't another Pokemon!_

"It might be a bit strange, but it's true. That's why we look so alike," Star explained.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Daisy asked, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Star nodded. "You may go now."

Daisy stared at her. "This is a dream."

"I know. Close your eyes and you'll be back in the waking world."

Daisy closed her red eyes and immediately the world turned black.

Sunlight flickered through the window as Daisy opened her eyes. She let out a huge yawn, then got up to go downstairs. The elevator was fast, but she was completely used to it by now. As soon as she reached Floor One, a billion of Pokemon were gathered by the mission board.

"What's going on?" Daisy asked as she walked over to Storm, surprise flickering across her face.

Storm twitched his ear. "Sky's missing."

Daisy didn't really feel upset, from the ways Sky treated her. "Oh. And everyone wants to find her?" she asked in surprise.

Storm shrugged. "They don't know she's evil, remember? Besides, she's really popular. I guess they feel guilty that Blue died."

Immediately after hearing that, Daisy's face fell. "Yeah."

"Let's drop the subject," said Storm awkwardly. "I don't like talking about Blue."

"You just talked about her again," Daisy snapped. Suddenly she realized how rude she was being. "Sorry."

"Nah, nah, it's fine." Storm rolled his eyes and padded up to Flame, Daisy following behind. "So who's going to go on the mission?"

Flame smiled. "Since you guys are close friends with Sky, I'm having you on the rescue mission. Team Vine will also come with."

Daisy's mouth dropped open. "U-us?" she stuttered.

Flame tilted her head. "Don't you like Sky?"

"Yes, I do," Daisy said quickly. "I'm just...nevermind."

Flame shrugged. "You'll be going on the mission any second now. I'll bring Team Vine over."

After she returned, Tackle seemed to have returned to his happy personality - at least, for now. "This is exciting!" he said with a wide grin. "I can't wait to rescue Sky!"

Daisy glanced at him sadly. _He doesn't know who she really is. _"Me neither, Tackle," she said. "Where's Night?"

Silently, the Snivy padded behind Tackle and crossed his arms. Apparently he didn't like Sky, either. But Daisy wasn't surprised. He hated everyone.

"So are we leaving now?" Storm asked Flame, pacing on the floor.

"I just said you could," replied Flame. She chuckled. "First, let me give you some information on where Sky might be. Most likely, she's in Smoky Woods, because I've seen her there a lot of times."

Suspicion flashed through Storm's eyes. Daisy felt the same feeling. What could she be doing in that strange place? "Alright, thank you, Flame." Daisy dipped her head. "We'll see you when you get back."

Flame nodded, and then Daisy turned to leave. As soon as she opened the door, the scent of forest surrounded her.

"Great." Storm huffed. "We're going in Smoky Woods again?"

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "You have to deal with it until the Guild is rebuilt, Storm. Smoky Woods surrounds Pidgeot's Training Camp."

"I know, I know." Storm sighed. "Bad luck they kept us here, huh?"

Tackle grinned and padded to the front of the group. "So where do you think she is?"

Daisy sniffed the air for a trace of Pachirisu scent. There was barely any on the breeze, but she caught something faint. "Is that...blood?"

"Sky's in trouble!" Tackle screamed.

Daisy didn't feel the slightest worry for her former friend. "Calm down, Tackle. It's probably something else. Besides, I can barely scent Sky."

Storm rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? Daisy, the blood is covering up Sky's scent. She has to be injured."

To Daisy's annoyance, Tackle started running in circles. "We have to save her!" he shrieked.

"Calm down, Tackle, or you'll wake every enemy in this forest!" Daisy hissed at him.

Tackle immediately sat down, dipping his head in shame. "Sorry."

"We'll try and track her down. Most likely the blood isn't hers," Daisy promised. But she knew she was just doing it to calm Tackle down.

"Come on," Storm growled. "She might be dead."

Daisy moved quickly through the undergrowth, occasionally scenting the air for Sky's smell. Soon they stopped to rest under a huge bush, but the sound of footsteps kept going.

"Do you hear that?" Daisy whispered.

"Hear what, those footsteps?" Tackle asked.

"Probably an enemy," Storm mumbled. "Keep quiet." He crouched under the bush.

Daisy twitched her ears, straining to hear. The footsteps got louder and louder until she saw the sight of a Pachirisu.

Without thinking, she shouted, "Sky!" and dashed toward her former friend.

Sky turned toward her with wide eyes, and that was when she saw the knife raised above Sky's head.

Daisy just stared at Sky with her mouth open. _What...what is she doing? _For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Sky turned away and lowered the knife to her head.

"NO!" Daisy turned to see Tackle jump on Sky and grab the knife. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Sky just stared at Tackle. "Uh..um..."

Finally, Daisy found herself speak. "What was that all about?" she asked.

Sky turned to walk away, but Daisy quickly caught up with her. "Tell me why you did that." Her voice was filled with anger.

"Because I was possessed, what do you think?" Sky snapped. "Leave me alone!" Before anyone could reply, she ran off.

Daisy stared in her direction.

"Possessed?" whimpered Tackle.

"Of course," Daisy said. "Sky really isn't evil."

Storm growled. "What are you talking about, Daisy?"

Daisy sighed. "She was possessed, and we were dumb not to realize she was like River, but worse. I don't know who possessed her, but it was something horrible."

Storm looked thoughtful. "But why would Sky commit suicide?"

"She figured out she was possessed, I think." Daisy shrugged. "I don't know everything."

"Well, that's a stupid reason," Storm snapped.

Daisy glared at her partner. "She couldn't control herself, Storm! How would you feel if you were in her shoes? Imagine killing without wanting to because you couldn't control yourself."

Storm didn't answer.

"Exactly." Daisy didn't know why she was defending Sky, but she felt like she finally understood the problem. "Blue wouldn't have died if Sky wasn't possessed. It wasn't her fault, Storm," she whispered so Tackle couldn't hear. "It's the fault of whoever possessed her."

Storm was silent for a moment. Then he said, "You're right. I just hope Sky returns to the Gu- Pidgeot's Training Camp."

"Me, too." Daisy was glad she might be able to be friends with Sky now. Daisy couldn't trust her if she was possessed, but maybe they could finally get along.

"Let's return to Flame," Tackle said. He seemed a bit shaken up after learning Sky was possessed, and Daisy couldn't blame him.

After Pidgeot's Training Camp went into view, Daisy walked in to be greeted by Flame.

"Back already?" Flame looked surprised. "Where's Sky?"

Daisy shrugged. "We found her, but she just ran off somewhere. She'll probably come back."

Flame didn't seem very convinced. "If she doesn't, I'm sending you guys to find her again. Where was she, Smoky Woods?"

Daisy nodded. She decided not to tell Flame that Sky tried committing suicide.

Just as Flame said that, Sky burst through the doors. "Sorry," she said, panting. "I just went for a walk." She eyed Daisy and Storm nervously, then looked away.

"It's alright. Just try not to be gone too long. Everyone thought you were missing, so I sent a search party," Flame explained.

Sky averted her gaze after looking at Daisy and Storm once again. "I can tell," she said awkwardly.

Daisy realized Sky didn't want to talk, so she padded away from them. Maybe Kasai, Chansey, Swift, and Haunter were back from their mission. She had no idea what it was or if it was hard or easy.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find them anywhere. Daisy sighed as she checked the digital clock. It was 10:00 already. _Dang...Time goes by fast when you're on a mission. I missed dinner _and _lunch. I guess I should go to sleep. _"Storm, are you coming?" Daisy called to her partner.

The Jolteon grumbled to himself as he walked over to her. "Yes," he said. "Although I'm not really tired."

"Me, neither, but we've done enough for one day," Daisy pointed out. "Unless you'd rather sit and talk."

Storm narrowed his eyes. "There's nothing to talk about."

Daisy could think of a hundred things she wanted to say, like to reveal she was Star reincarnated. But Daisy wasn't sure Storm would believe that. "Yeah," she said with a sigh. "Let's just go to sleep."

The elevator led them to Floor 13. Daisy was still tempted to push Floor 18 instead, and she sighed at the thought of her old floor. _Don't worry, Daisy, it'll be fixed soon, _she thought, trying to convince herself. But what if the Guild was gone forever?

As Daisy walked over to her spot on the floor, she huffed. _I'll never have something not to think about. _She curled up under the blankets and looked up at Storm, suddenly remembering they were alone tonight. "Hey, Storm," she said cheerfully. "We can sleep on the beds!"

"Huh?" Storm asked from the other side of her. "You mean Kasai and Swift won't be coming back tonight?"

Daisy shook her head. "They're probably on a hard mission or something. So let's sleep on the beds."

Storm didn't seem convinced. "What if they come back in the middle of the night? They won't be too happy to see us on their beds."

"Well, Swift and Haunter won't. I doubt Kasai and Chansey would care. You're right," she muttered, "but try not to worry about it. This is our chance to finally get to sleep on a bed."

Storm shrugged, hopping onto the first bed. Daisy sighed as she walked all the way to the other one, and jumped on it. "Good night," she said sleepily.

"Good night," Storm whispered back.

Daisy thought she wasn't tired, but before you knew it, she was fast asleep.


	21. Chapter 20: Secrets of the Dungeon

Immediately, Daisy was reminded of the dungeon she was going to when she woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and they flickered with excitement. They weren't going to it right away, of course, but when everyone was asleep. Daisy wasn't sure if Chansey and Haunter were going with. She'd have to ask Kasai and Swift when they came back from the mission. _If _they came back. Daisy didn't even want to think about them failing the mission. Sighing, she stretched her legs, a tired look back in her eyes as she walked over to the elevator. _I'm not going on any more missions today, even if Flame makes me, _she thought. Slowly she pressed Floor One, and hung onto the floor as the elevator shot down.

Daisy watched as the elevator opened. Surprisingly, there was a lot of Pokemon on this floor. Maybe she was late. Daisy glanced at the clock and frowned with embarrassment. No wonder Storm wasn't there when she woke up. It was 12:04.

"Up already?" someone sarcastically said behind her.

Daisy spun around to meet the eyes of Eclipse. Her heart sank. They hadn't been on friendly terms ever since Eclipse thought she was Star, and it didn't help that he was evil. She knew she had to find a way to convince him she wasn't Star. Maybe she could ask Star herself to visit Eclipse in a dream?_ If Star would visit me... _Her thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when Eclipse again spoke. "You missed breakfast. Lunch started four minutes ago."

_No wonder everyone is at the tables._ "Do I have a plate?"

Eclipse glared at her. "Since you were so late, no. And I doubt you're going to get one, unless you ask your friend." Flicking his tail, he stalked away. Daisy sighed as she stared after the Houndoom. _This is just great. Star better be listening to me right now, so I can convince Eclipse I'm not her._

She looked back toward one of the tables and noticed Storm talking with Rin. _I haven't seen her in a while. Maybe Storm will share some of his food._ Smiling, she sat on one of the chairs. "Hey, guys," she said cheerfully.

"You slept really late," Storm growled. "Even when I yelled, I couldn't wake you up!"

Daisy laughed. "I must've been in a deep sleep or something. I never did this before." _Maybe in my human life I did?_

Rin smiled. "Hello, Daisy. I haven't seen you in a while."

Daisy nodded to the Eevee. "How are you?"

Rin yawned, and Daisy sensed she was tired, too. "Good, but a little sleepy. I went to bed at midnight."

Daisy shuddered. "And I went to bed at ten."

"Exactly!" Storm scoffed. "How could you wake up so late?"

Daisy glanced at his plate, and suddenly her belly growled with hunger. "Hey, can I have some of your food?" she asked hungrily.

Storm's angry mood changed into laughter. Apparently he heard her belly growl. "Sure, I'm full anyway." He pushed the plate toward her, and Daisy drooled when she saw bacon.

"It's good, right?" Rin snickered, and Daisy felt another feeling of embarrassment. _Did she see me drool?_

Trying to hide it, Daisy laughed. "Yeah." She ate a piece of her bacon awkwardly, then stared at Storm. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Storm yawned._ Jeez, everyone's tired today, _thought Daisy.

Daisy asked the first thing that was on her mind. "So, do you know what mission Team Planet and Claw are going on?"

"I heard it was to rescue a Pikachu and Plusle or something," Rin's voice spoke.

Daisy turned to Rin. "Where? Do you know?"

Rin shrugged. "I don't really remember. Maybe Smoky Woods or Star Point. You'd have to ask Flame; she knows everything."

A curious look flashed through Daisy's eyes. "What's Star Point?"

"Oh, it's a place next to Sapphire Beach. It's really ancient. I may be Bronze Rank, but I'm afraid that's all I know about it, besides the fact that it's really dangerous," Rin explained.

Daisy felt horrified. "Swift and Kasai's teams are both Normal Rank! How could Flame let them go on a mission like that?"

"Don't ask me. They probably convinced her." Rin sighed. "Is that all of your questions?"

"No," Daisy growled. "Not if it means Kasai and Swift could die. I want to know why they wanted to go on this mission in the first place."

Rin sweatdropped. Daisy could tell she was getting annoyed, but the Umbreon didn't care. She wanted answers. "Okay," Rin began. "I don't know, but most likely they wanted a tough mission to handle. They thought they could bump up a rank or two if they went to Star Point. I was like that when I was Normal Rank, too, but now I'm more experienced, so I know better." She laughed, but an annoyed expression was on her face.

"I have to find them," Daisy snapped, standing up on her chair. "I can't let them get killed."

"Too many search parties have been sent latel-"

"Uhh, Daisy, you might want to sit down," Storm muttered.

Daisy shot a nervous glance at her chair, but before she could do anything, it collapsed.

"Daisy!" Storm screeched.

_How can this day get any worse?_ Daisy groaned as her head shot up. "That chair was delicate," she hissed. "It wasn't my fault!"

"Yes, it was," Storm pointed out. "You stood up." His eyes filled with relief when he saw she was okay.

Daisy's heart sank as she noticed Pidgeot stalk toward them with an angry look in her gaze. "I want to know what happened now!" she snapped.

"Daisy stood up on her chair," Rin said, flashing the Umbreon an apologetic look.

Daisy narrowed her eyes as Pidgeot took another step forward. "And you broke this chair," she chirped angrily.

Sighing, Daisy nodded. "It wasn't my fault the chair was del-"

"It wasn't your fault?!" Daisy was starting to get nervous when she saw Pidgeot's eyes fill with menace. "Why else would you stand up on your chair like that, huh?"

"I was angry," Daisy whispered.

"WHAT?"

Daisy cowered on the ground, her heart pounding. "I was angry!" she said a little louder. _I'm gonna get sent to the dungeon. I'm in horrible trouble. Oh why did I stand on my chair?!_

"Angry at what?" Pidgeot still looked insane.

"U-uh, that Kasai and Swift went to Star Point," Daisy muttered.

Pidgeot had to get close to hear her, and Daisy didn't like it. But she wasn't going to make her voice any louder than it already was. "Why would you be mad at that?" Pidgeot asked.

"Their teams are normal rank, and Star Point is dangerous, so I'm worried about them," Daisy said quickly.

"Stop speaking so fast!" Pidgeot yelled. "I can barely understand you."

Daisy's head turned away from the Pokemon that were staring at the two. She sighed. "I said I'm worried about them because they're both normal rank teams."

Pidgeot lowered her chin. "That chair may be one of the delicate ones," she whispered, "but it took days to fix. And if you break it one more time..." Her eyes averted to the side, and Daisy saw what she was looking at: Flame. The Charizard was staring straight at them.

"You will be going to the dungeon," Pidgeot whispered quietly in her ear. "And I'll make sure no one knows where you are." She stepped back from the Umbreon and padded away as if the conversation had never happened.

Daisy stared back at her in awe. Slowly, she stood up and walked next to the table.

"What just happened?" Rin asked.

"Pidgeot said she would send me to the dungeon if I broke a chair again," Daisy snickered. "And she told me no one would hear about it. Apparently she didn't think hard enough. Wait until Flame hears about this."

Rin laughed nervously. "Yeah...very funny."

Storm just stared at Daisy, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Daisy asked. "I'm not gonna go to the dungeon. I'll tell Flame."

"What if Pidgeot finds out you told her?" Storm questioned.

Daisy shrugged. "She couldn't do anything if Flame was there."

"Still, I'm worried something might happen, Daisy," Storm said with a sigh. "A true Guild leader wouldn't act like that if you broke a chair accidentally."

"I already know she's mean. I can handle her, but I don't have to. Flame does." Daisy grinned. "So don't worry, Storm."

Storm nodded. "I guess you have a point. But what if Flame is killed?"

Daisy had never thought of that before. She doubted Flame would ever die. "I don't think that would happen. I'll make sure."

"You better," Storm huffed. "I'm kind of suspicious of Pidgeot."

"Just because someone's strict, doesn't make them evil," Daisy pointed out.

Rin leaned forward. "Daisy is right, but Storm does have a point. Why else would Pidgeot make a dungeon?"

Daisy shuddered. "She'd have to be insane."

Rin nodded. "And I heard a rumor that she took a Blaziken there after he fought someone else. No one ever saw him again. I don't know if that's true, but-"

"It is!" Daisy hissed quietly. "Team Pluto told me about that yesterday."

Rin flicked her ears in shock. "Really? I overheard them talking about that, but I didn't see you there."

Daisy shrugged. "Me and Kasai were trying to get more information on the dungeon. We still don't know where it is, but it's probably on the bottom floor."

"Obviously," Storm growled. "Are you going there or something?"

Daisy hesitated, unsure whether or not to tell him. Then she quickly nodded.

Storm gasped, nearly choking on his bacon. "Why didn't you tell me?! Are you going alone?"

"Calm down, Storm. I'm going with Kasai and Swift. I don't know if you, Haunter, or Chansey should go yet. I think that'd be a good idea, though. The more Pokemon we have, the better it could be. But I'd have to ask Kasai and Swift when they get back from the mission."

Storm looked at her with fierce eyes. "I'm going with you," he growled. "I'll make sure of it."

Daisy opened her mouth to respond, but just then she heard footsteps. "Going where?" the voice of River asked curiously.

Daisy turned her head. "Oh, hi, River," she said.

Storm scowled. "What do you want?" he huffed.

"Don't be mean to him," Daisy growled. "He just wanted to know where we were going, that's all." She turned her head back to the Buizel. "Me, Kasai, and Swift were planning on going to the dungeon."

"The wha-?" River stared at her.

Daisy sighed, explaining to him how she found out about it. "We were going tonight, when everyone was sleeping," she added.

"Can I come with? I'm too curious to know what it looks like." River grinned.

"No!" Storm shouted. "Not him!"

Ignoring Storm, Daisy nodded. "Sure. But don't tell anyone, please? We have enough Pokemon going already." Daisy was starting to think she didn't want Haunter and Chansey to come with at all.

"I won't. I promise." River smiled.

Daisy also grinned and sat there for a moment until the bell rang. All the Pokemon got up from their seats and walked over to the mission board.

"We really shouldn't take any missions today," she said to River and Storm. "Not if we're going to a dungeon. I'm still not sure if I should find Kasai and Swift..."

"Don't," Storm said quickly. "They can do this on their own."

Daisy sighed and looked into her partner's eyes. "Fine. Since when did you not want me to leave so much?" she snapped.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Storm said quickly. "We're partners."

"Well, if I go find Kasai and Swift, you're gonna have to come with me," Daisy pointed out. "So you really shouldn't be worried."

Storm looked at his paws. "I know. It's just Star Point is really dangerous."

There was a long silence. Daisy looked up to see Rin had left the table, and River was sitting there.

"So what are we going to do in the dungeon?" River asked.

Daisy shrugged. "I'm just curious to see what's down there. Probably look around and see if the Blaziken is still alive."

"What Blaziken?"

Daisy sighed. "I'll tell you later, River." She looked at him. "So, is Sky still talking to you?"

River shook his head. "No, why?"

Daisy's heart soared. She wasn't sure if Sky would want Daisy to tell him she tried committing suicide, so she decided not to. "I was just wondering."

River nodded. "I'm glad she isn't. I hate her."

For some reason, Daisy felt happy that River didn't like Sky. "Well...I'll see you later," she said.

River nodded again. "Bye."

Daisy watched as he left, then turned and walked straight into Swift.

"We're back!" Kasai said cheerfully. "Sorry it took so long; we had a huge opponent."

Daisy stared at Kasai in surprise and happiness. "Why'd you go to Star Point in the first place?"

"Me and Swift wanted our teams to go to Silver Rank," Kasai explained. "And it looks like we did." She grinned when Flame called them over.

"Congratulations!" Daisy smiled. "You deserved it."

Kasai puffed out her chest. "See you in the dungeon~!" she said, then padded over to Flame.

"Wait, Kasai?" Daisy called.

Kasai turned around.

"Is it okay if River and Storm come with?" she asked. "They kind of wanted to..."

Kasai laughed. "The more the merrier! But no one else can come," she added. "Not Haunter, not Chansey, okay?"

"Okay." Daisy smiled. "That's all I wanted to say." She watched as Kasai, Swift, Haunter, and Chansey received their new ranks. _Lucky... Me and Storm should go to Star Point._

After the groups had received their new ranks, Kasai walked over to Daisy, her chest still puffed out. "I don't know why I'm still so excited; I already got my badge!" she grinned, a proud glint in her eyes.

Daisy smiled. "Stop, you might get Storm jealous," she joked.

Storm, who was still seated next to the missions board, scowled. "Shut up! I am _not_ jealous. If anything, I'm... uh... Unjealous!"

Daisy laughed. "That's not even a word, genius."

Storm glared at her. "Well, I don't really care if we get a badge or not."

"That's like saying you don't want to be a rescue team," Kasai said with a roll of her eyes. "Seriously, what's your problem?"

Chansey narrowed her eyes from her place next to Kasai, crossing her arms. "Guys, leave him alone. I'm sure he did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Daisy growled. "He's angry at us all the time for no apparent reason; we have the right to snap at him as well."

"Sorry," Chansey apologized. "I didn't know." She flashed a glare at Storm before turning away.

"Thanks for making her hate me," Storm snapped. "And I thought you were my partner."

Daisy grinned at him. "You can chill out, Storm. Don't worry; Kasai will make her like you. Besides, she'd be stupid if she hates you just for you being grumpy. There's probably a reason for your grumpiness, isn't there?"

Storm shuffled his paws nervously, as if there was a broken piece of his history that he didn't want to reveal. "Not really," he muttered.

Daisy had an odd feeling he was hiding something from the way he was acting, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. It could've been her imagination... Right? Sighing, she turned to look at River, who was eavesdropping on their conversation from the tables. "Anything wrong?" she asked him, curious as to why he was staring at them.

"Nah. Just bored." River had his arms crossed, looking as if he was mad for some strange reason. "Waiting for 10:00 so we can go to the stupid dungeon already."

Chansey perked up. "What dungeon?" she asked excitedly.

Kasai groaned. "Look what you did, River."

Haunter, who was next to Swift, seemed to float a little higher. "I love dungeons," he spoke. "Can I come with to wherever you're going?"

"Sorry, but we already have so many Pokemon," Daisy said, saving River from having to answer.

Swift scowled. "Yeah. Sorry, Haunter, Chansey. If we bring any more Pokemon, none of us will be able to fit in the elevator." He rolled his eyes. "Especially you, Chansey."

Chansey balled her hand into a fist. "Say that again!" she snarled.

"Alright, alright, break it up," Kasai hissed, walking in between the two. "We cannot afford to have a fight. What would Pidgeot do if she saw us?"

Daisy shuddered at the thought. She was slowly beginning to believe that the Training Camp leader was evil, even though it was hard to believe. Still, Pidgeot sure acted like it a lot, especially with the dungeon in the basement. "Yeah, that won't be a good thing. So stop fighting, Swift."

"Hey!" Swift protested. "It wasn't my fault!"

Storm rolled his eyes. "You basically called her fat, and you're saying it's not your fault? What did she ever do to you?"

Swift put on his usual scowl. "She hates me because I'm annoying, which I think is a very stupid reason."

River sighed loudly. "It's not a stupid reason. Many Pokemon hate others for being annoying, like I do for a certain someone right now." He growled as he stared at Swift.

"Stop bashing me," Swift snarled. "It was a simple joke and you're acting as if it was supposed to be an insult."

"I don't care if it was a joke," Chansey said. "You still hurt my feelings."

Swift shrugged. "Whatever," he said, turning away. "Now I'm glad you're not going to the dungeon with us."

"Me, too!" Chansey yelled quickly. Then she stopped suddenly, as if realizing what she had just said. "I mean... I wish I was going and you weren't," she corrected herself.

Swift chuckled. "Too late, you just said you didn't want to go to the dungeon."

Chansey glared at him. "Shut up!" She balled her hand into a fist again. "I would fight you right here, but I wouldn't want Pidgeot seeing."

"Scared?" Swift teased, showing her his claws. Daisy's fur began to bristle as she watched them circle each other. _If I try to stop their fight, one of them might accidentally kill me! _she thought with a shudder. _Though I'm sure they're not going to kill each other... Are they?_

Her heart sank as Swift lashed out with his claws. Chansey gasped as a wound opened up on her forehead, and she fell backwards.

"That's it!" River snapped, stalking toward the two fighters. "Swift, I have had it with you right now. First, you called her fat, and now you're suddenly trying to kill her. You have no respect for other rescue teams."

"Chansey!" Kasai let out a whimper as she rushed toward her partner. _Wow... This is the first time I've ever seen her this unhappy... _Daisy thought, a pang of sadness stabbing her like a thorn as she saw Kasai lick her friend's wound. Chansey's eyes were shut tightly, and she was breathing heavily. For a heartbeat Daisy wondered if she was going to die.

Swift looked at his claws himself, as if he was surprised he'd attempted to kill Chansey. "What have I done...?" he whispered.

Kasai turned toward him, a snarl forming on her snout. "You tried to kill her! How could you do this, Swift?" Her sudden anger was replaced by a rueful expression as she crouched over Chansey. "Please don't die... It was just one scratch..."

Swift just stared at her. "Honestly, I don't know what I did..."

A look of suspicion began to cross both Storm's and River's eyes, and they exchanged an odd glance. _What's up with them? _Daisy thought, a bit suspicious herself. The two hated each other for unknown reasons; why did they look like they were in an agreement?

"Is anything wrong?" she found herself ask River. "You look as if you're agreeing with Storm for once. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing," River said quickly. "Just... Wondering if Swift joined the evil side, that's all." He flashed a glare at Storm, who nodded.

Daisy narrowed her eyes. _Why is he acting like this? Is he hiding something? _She nodded as well and flashed a smile. If River was lying, she might lie, too. "He might be." She wasn't stupid, though: Swift would never join Darkrai just because he was rude. And he even admitted that the scratch was an accident. He couldn't possibly be plotting something against everyone.

A shadow began to cross over the Pokemon, and Daisy's heart sank when she met the angry gaze of Pidgeot. "What's going on here?" Pidgeot snapped, glancing at Chansey. "What happened?"

"He tried to kill her!" Kasai sobbed, pointing at Swift.

Pidgeot turned to look at Swift, the angry look now turning to a furious glare. "Is this true?" she demanded.

"I..I didn't know what I was doing!" Swift gasped, looking frightened.

"No more words, Swift." Pidgeot took a step toward him and whispered something in his ear. Daisy couldn't quite catch what she said, but whatever it was must've been bad, because Swift widened his eyes and put his hands over his mouth.

"W-why don't we all forget that this happened?" he stammered.

Pidgeot flapped her wings in fury. "You expect me to forget that this happened? You expect me to forget that you tried to kill a perfectly innocent Pokemon?"

Daisy suddenly felt the need to defend Swift. It wasn't his fault. But she couldn't find herself to open her mouth; what if she got sent to the dungeon?

"You guys got off lucky." Lowering her voice, Pidgeot whispered, "He's going to the dungeon."

Everyone exchanged shocked glances. Kasai wasn't surprised, though; she just glared at Swift as he appeared traumatized. "D-does it really have to be that bad?" he said with a sweatdrop, attempting a grin. "Can you just let me off with a warning?"

"I already did," Pidgeot snarled. "When you swore in front of everyone. You know as well as I do that I don't give out second warnings, Swift. You're going, and that's that."

Moonlight shimmered through Daisy's window as she pressed one paw on the button saying Floor One. Swift was probably already at the dungeon, but she, Kasai, and River were going to meet at Floor One to go together. _Maybe we can bash Swift out as well! He doesn't deserve to be there. _She had just gotten over being shocked. Kasai wouldn't be happy about kicking Swift out of the dungeon, but if Daisy could explain to her that it was an accident, maybe she'd believe her best friend.

"I can't wait to go to the dungeon and get my paws on Swift," Storm growled.

Daisy sighed at him. "It was an accident, Storm. You should know that."

Storm shuffled his paws nervously. "I'm just worrying... He might be a danger, that's all." He muttered something under his breath that Daisy couldn't quite catch, and she tilted her head. "Nothing," Storm sighed as the elevator opened.

Kasai was already waiting there, looking around as if she was trying to find them. Finally her eyes met Daisy's, and she sighed in relief. "There you are! Where's River?"

"He's probably coming," Storm grunted. "If he doesn't anytime soon, we're leaving without him." He flashed a glance at Daisy before looking away.

Kasai frowned. "We're not going to leave without him. We're not that rude. Also, did you hear that Chansey was going to the hospital?" she explained cheerfully.

Daisy nodded, puzzled. "Why do you seem so happy about that?"

"Because I know she won't die." Kasai suddenly looked puzzled as well. "Huh...?"

Storm and Daisy exchanged a suspicious glance; what was going on with Kasai today? _Ever since Swift almost killed Chansey, she's been acting weird._ Luckily, before someone could try to speak, the elevator opened to reveal River.

"River!" Daisy grinned. "We've been waiting so long. Let's go."

Kasai shuffled her paws, looking down at them. "I don't want to go if it means seeing Swift," she muttered.

Daisy sighed. "Kasai, it was an accident. Swift didn't mean to give Chansey the scratch." To the Umbreon's surprise, Kasai's fur bristled and she took a threatening step forward.

"Why are you on his side all of a sudden? Did you want Chansey to die too?" Suddenly, her eyes began to droop and she looked at the ground ruefully. "I hate him so much..."

Daisy put her tail on Kasai's shoulder to try and relax her, but Kasai shook it away instantly. "Just leave me alone," she growled, stalking toward the elevator.

"Where are you going?" River frowned. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Kasai flashed him an angry glare. "I'm going to the dungeon, obviously."

"I thought you didn't want to go," Daisy pointed out. She frowned at River as if to say, _What happened?_

River shrugged. "Yeah," he said, a puzzled expression planted on his face.

Kasai bared her teeth in a snarl. "Normally I would say no, since you can't tell me what to do, but I have to admit I am curious." She rolled her eyes and scanned the elevator for a "Dungeon" button. "Now where is it?" she muttered.

Daisy padded into the elevator with River, and she tilted her head to the side. "There's no Dungeon button?"

"Why don't you try looking for one that says Basement?" Storm explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's not going to say dungeon, Kasai."

Kasai whipped around to glare at him. "Just let me look!" she hissed.

Storm flinched. "Okay, okay..." Daisy was just as confused as he was; why did Kasai have a change in personality all of a sudden? She was usually only grumpy at Swift.

River pressed a paw comfortably on Kasai's shoulder. "Let me look," he explained.

Kasai shook his paw off and looked as if she was about to snap into two. "I can manage it myself!"

River ignored her, to Daisy's shock and Kasai's annoyance, and scanned the buttons for one that looked different.

"Hey, what's this?" Daisy queried, pointing at a dusty spot on the wall. When no one replied, she brushed it off with a paw. To her surprise, a black button that said "Floor -1" in white letters appeared. "It says Floor -1..."

Kasai turned her head to look at the button, puzzled. "Floor -1?"

"That's odd." River looked thoughtful. "Let's press it," he finally spoke. "I bet it's the dungeon. But why would Pidgeot call it Floor -1?"

"Maybe she doesn't want anyone to find it," Daisy explained. "So she hid it under some dust and called it a weird name." Without waiting for Storm or Kasai to respond, she quickly pressed the button. At first, nothing happened. Then the elevator burst down at the speed of light. Daisy gasped and hung on to the ground with her claws; it seemed as if only a second had passed before they reached the dungeon.

The elevator opened, revealing a dark tunnel. "What's this?" Storm asked, a frightened expression clear on his face.

River giggled. "Don't be scared," he spoke. "Let's go!" Without waiting for anyone's approval, he stalked down the tunnel.

"Uh... I don't think this is a good idea," Storm spoke as the others began to follow.

Kasai looked over her shoulder with a snarl. "If you don't want to come with, then leave."

Storm flashed a glance at Daisy and River before trotting along with his head down. "Don't be mean," he murmured.

Daisy's heart pounded at what Kasai might say about that, but she only walked forward with her head in the air. "It's a good thing I don't care what you say about me, Storm," she said.

Storm rolled his eyes, quickening his pace so he walked at Daisy's side. "Why is she so rude all of a sudden?"

"Keep your voice down!" Daisy hissed silently. "You don't want anyone to hear us."

Storm sighed. "Alright, alright. We probably have a long way to go, though. Why are you so worried?"

Daisy shrugged. "Just trying to be careful."

River nodded. "It's good to be cautious when other Pokemon might be watching. Also, why do you want to see this... Blaziken anyway?"

"We just want to see if he's alive, that's all," Kasai snapped. "We heard rumors about him fighting a Mudkip and getting sent to the dungeon."

River yawned, seeming bored. "Honestly, I don't see how that's so important."

Daisy was about to retort when she stepped on something sharp. "Ouch!" She flinched at the pain in her paw. It was like a thousand needles digging into her skin. When she looked back at the ground, a sharp, white stone was placed there.

"You okay?" River padded worriedly at her side. "What's that?"

Storm sighed. "It's a stone, genius. Let me see the cut."

"I can manage it by myself," Daisy snapped, hating all of the protection she was getting. Didn't they know she could handle things on her own? She looked at her paw anyway, shuddering at the scratch, which was still bleeding.

Storm widened his eyes. "There must be something here that can stop the bleeding..."

River nodded. "There is. Have you ever heard of cobwebs?"

"Those stop bleeding?" Storm blinked. "I must not be good at being a doctor..."

River chuckled. "You're definitely not. Anyways, since this is a really dusty place-" he paused to scowl at the dust bunnies on the ground- "there must be cobwebs. I can't find any. Why don't we search?"

Daisy started to limp forward, but River placed a paw on her shoulder. "Don't walk. It might make the pain worse." There was a sharp pang of worry in his gaze, and for some reason Daisy didn't feel annoyed this time. "Kasai?" River asked, turning his head over to the Flareon. "Would you like to find some cobwebs?"

Kasai rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Not what I expected her to say, but..." River shrugged. "As long as she helps, good enough." He scanned around the tunnel, but mostly kept his eyes on the darkness ahead.

"We should get moving if we want to find some cobwebs," Storm growled. "It'll be easier."

River glared at him, crossing his arms. "And leave Daisy alone? She can't walk."

Storm widened his eyes, seeming to forget that his partner was with them. Daisy felt a flash of anger. _Normally, I would be annoyed if Storm wanted to protect me, but he actually forgot about me? Now that's loyal, _she thought sarcastically.

"Right," Storm finally said, interrupting Daisy from her many thoughts. "Sorry, Daisy. I'll stay here to guard you."

Before Daisy could reply, River shook his head. "No, thanks, Storm. You've done enough." He sounded furious for some reason. "I'll guard her."

"Fine," Storm growled, sounding unhappy. "The one who knows the most about cobwebs stays behind. Makes a lot of sense."

River narrowed his eyes. "Just go with Kasai," he growled.

For a moment, Storm looked hesitant, then he sighed and nodded. "Fine." He flashed one last protective glance at Daisy before stalking after Kasai.

Daisy looked awkwardly at her paws. Whenever she was alone with River, her heart always pounded. "So..." she began, staring at her cut.

"Listen, Daisy," River began. "There's something I really have to tell you... I've never gotten the chance since we always got interrupted by someone. Now, I'm sure we won't get interrupted since Storm and Kasai probably won't be back for a while..."

Daisy finally looked up from her paws, staring at River. "What is it?" she asked, curious. _I've noticed we did get interrupted from our conversations a lot... Hopefully it won't happen this time. Wait, am I hearing his heart pound from all the way back here? _Daisy wondered, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I just..." River looked shakily into her eyes. "I really-"

He was interrupted - again, to Daisy's annoyance - by Storm's loud paws thundering against the cold floor. "Guys! Guys, you won't believe it!"

Putting his hands on his hips, River glared at Storm. "You interrupted our conversation, Storm. What do you want this time?" He seemed a bit harsh, but Daisy couldn't blame the Buizel. She was also annoyed at Storm.

Storm seemed to ignore his sudden anger, a huge frown planted on his face. "Me and Kasai heard Swift's scream, and right after that, Kasai just disappeared! I can't find her anywhere!"

Daisy's heart pounded so loud she was sure the dungeon Pokemon could hear it from all the way in the tunnel. "Are you kidding?! After Swift accidentally tried to kill Chansey, Kasai might try to kill him! We have to find her before she tries something."

Storm blinked. "She's your best friend. How could you say that?"

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "Look, Storm. It's complicated. I don't think she's been acting the same ever since Chansey went to the hospital. She might've been thinking...wrong thoughts."

River balled his hand into a fist. "You might be right," he growled. "Daisy... Hop on Storm's back or something. You probably still can't walk, and we have to move fast, so it'll be much easier for you if Storm carries you on his back."

"I don't need to be protected," Daisy said with a roll of her eyes, "but thanks anyway, I guess."

River nodded. "Sorry if I'm being overprotective. I know you can't stand Pokemon who do that." He chuckled awkwardly. Daisy couldn't blame him. It was the truth.

Daisy jumped on Storm's back and curled up there as he began to walk quickly down the tunnel. Of course, he couldn't run because of the heavy Umbreon on him, but at least he wasn't going as slow as a snail. "This is kind of creepy," she finally spoke, killing the silence that had risen between them. "The walls are so dark, and it looks like we won't be reaching the dungeon any time soon."

"Well, we need to hurry," River pointed out. "Time goes by super fast, and we don't want Flame or Pidgeot to send a search party looking for us in the morning. If they find us wandering in the dungeon, they won't be happy." He shivered.

"Oh, I can just imagine Pidgeot's face," Storm snarled. "I really think she's evil."

River sighed. "You know, I've been having thoughts of her being possessed as well. Or her just being like Eclipse, all evil and stuff. What about you, Daisy?" He looked over at the Umbreon, whose eyes were closed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Daisy opened her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the darkness ahead as she answered, "I kind of thought about it as well. Why else would she have a dungeon? I've heard of a legend where Flame was going to kill someone if they ever came back, but that was only because she figured out he was evil. Pidgeot is way worse - sending someone to suffer forever because he fought someone else? And she actually told me she was sending me to the dungeon because I accidentally broke a chair!" She was yelling now, and she couldn't stop. Daisy was too furious to lower her voice. "What is her problem?! I hate her so much!"

River put one warm paw on her shoulder. Daisy relaxed at his touch, but she still felt a spark of fury. "I know. I was there when that happened, and I heard everything," he said softly. "Listen. We can't just sit here and wait for all of the Pokemon to be possessed. Remember when Darkrai tried to possess me? Luckily, I was too strong for him, and I managed to win. But some Pokemon didn't win - like Sky, Eclipse, and maybe even Kasai. We have to put a stop to this soon, or the world will end forever."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" Daisy flattened her ears, frustrated with all of this information. "I don't think Eclipse was possessed, though. I really think he's evil."

Storm flicked his ears, a growl humming deep in his throat. "I agree. He's not possessed. For all we know, he could be the one who's possessing everyone!"

"It's Darkrai, Storm," River explained as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. "Darkrai is the cause of it all."

"I doubt it." Storm bared his teeth in a snarl. "I believe it's Eclipse."

Daisy let out a loud sigh. "Just because Eclipse was the first Pokemon we found evil, doesn't mean he's the cause. And what I'm about to say might sound a little crazy, but... I've been having suspicions about Rain, as well."

River widened his eyes in surprise. "Rain? How could he possibly be evil?"

"Exactly. That's what most evil Pokemon do - they lure you into their trap and make you think they're nice. Before I fully knew Eclipse was evil, I actually wondered if I was wrong, and if he was just grumpy like Storm."

Storm glared at Daisy. "Are you calling me evil?"

"No!" Daisy said quickly. "You're not evil. I'm also worried, though, that Eclipse might try to murder Rain."

River seemed to look thoughtful, his gaze boring into Daisy's. "When Snow was alive, I wondered that, too. But ever since she died, I highly doubt Eclipse's going to try something."

"He still can," Daisy argued. "He's evil. He can kill anyone."

"True." River lightly shrugged, looking ahead of him again. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he skidded to a stop.

Daisy frowned, worry rising in her chest. "Is something wrong?" She dared to look ahead of her, too, and her heart almost stopped beating. Directly ahead of them, probably about five inches away, the tunnel opened into a large clearing. Cages ranging in different sizes were everywhere, filled with many different Pokemon: Lucario, Quilava, Chespin, and many more. The whole place was gray and deadly, filling Daisy with dread as she looked at it. Daisy slipped off Storm's back, in shock. "Wow... It's so..." She paused for a moment. "...Gray," she finally breathed.

Storm nodded. "Great. Let's find Kasai, free Swift, and get the heck out of here."

"I think someone's afraid," River teased, but Daisy could tell that he was worried, too. "Storm's right, though. That's really all we have to do. I'm sure it won't take too long. There can't be that many Pokemon..."

"Hold on." Daisy stood up, her gaze turning angrily to River. "Why can't we rescue all of the Pokemon? They don't deserve to suffer for all eternity just for doing something stupid."

River sighed. "We can't know for sure. What if some of them are evil? How we would know?"

"We could ask them why they got in the cage in the first place," Daisy pointed out.

Storm growled as his eyes swept across the long clearing. "You really expect them to tell the truth, Daisy? Well... Maybe some of them will, but not everyone will, especially if they're evil."

Daisy felt a stare grazing the top of her head, and she looked in front of her to see a Chespin with many cuts on his face. "We can hear ya, ya know," he growled. "Who are ya and what're ya doin' in the dungeon? Did someone send you or somethin'?"

"No. We're just exploring, and trying to bring our friend back," Daisy told him.

The Chespin's eyebrows raised. "Hey, speakin' of friends, have ya seen a Chansey around?"

Daisy whipped her head around to face River, who had an excited gleam in his eyes. "Yeah, what's her name?" he asked.

Chespin blinked. "She don't have one, Buizel. By the way, her partner's a Flareon."

Daisy eyed Chespin in awe. "Yes! Chansey's in the hospital, though. Someone gave her a bad cut."

A sparkle of worry flashed in the Chespin's eyes. "Ah. That Chansey's my girlfriend. We haven't seen each other in forever." He sighed and looked down at his feet. "Just wanted to make sure she's okay, is all."

"Oh. I'm sorry about your loss," Daisy spoke. She never knew Chansey had a boyfriend. It didn't surprise her, though. Chansey barely ever talked. "Out of curiosity... Why did you get sent to the dungeon?"

Chespin sighed sadly. "My friends and I got in a bad argument, and it got a little outta hand..." He clawed the bars, his sadness suddenly turning to anger. "It was all their fault. They tried to kill Chansey. They were my partners, for Arceus' sake! They didn't know a thing." He shook his head. "They ended up innocent, and I ended up sufferin' in the damn dungeon. I couldn't believe it."

"Well, we're busting you out," Daisy said with a grin. "You don't deserve to be in the dungeon."

Chespin widened his eyes in surprise. "Really... No one ever tried that before. Most of the Pokemon I knew didn't even know 'bout Floor -1." He sealed his eyes shut. "I've been here for so long... And now I might see Chansey again." He opened his eyes again, smiling slightly for the first time they had met. "Thank ya, Umbreon, Buizel, and Jolteon."

"This is all so heartwarming and all, but can we just bust him out, find Kasai and Swift, and get the heck out of here?" Storm growled.

Chespin took a few steps back. "You know Swift?" A snarl appeared on his face. "He's here? Where is he?"

River tilted his head to one side. "You sound a little angry. Do you know Swift?"

Chespin nodded, balling his hand into a fist. "He's one of the friends I had. The other one's a Haunter. They were the friends who got me sent to the dungeon. Are you sayin' Swift got sent here, too?"

Daisy nodded. "He's the one who tried to kill Chansey and gave her this cut." She was sort of wondering if it was actually an accident this time.

Chespin curled his claws. Daisy had never seen someone this furious before. She shivered as an intensity filled his eyes. "Again," the Chespin growled. "I can't believe he'd try it again. Did ya know where Haunter was, by any chance?"

"He wasn't there. He's so mysterious, I can never tell what he's thinking." Daisy lightly shrugged. "I never knew Swift had a third partner who got sent to the dungeon! It's interesting, yet weird..."

Chespin crossed his arms. "Very. Now get me out of here so I can kick his ass."

Daisy nodded, hating Swift more than ever at the moment. "Sadly, I don't really know how." She walked closer to his cage, still limping slightly, and noticed a lock in the corner. "Do you know where the key is?"

"It definitely won't be in the dungeon." Chespin sighed. "I've heard it was in Pidgeot's room, but I'm unsure."

Daisy sighed. "We have to go all the way back there? I don't even know what room she's at!"

Chespin widened his eyes, a gleam in them. "If it helps some, she's on Floor 2."

"With an injured Pokemon, we definitely won't make it in time," Storm groaned. "I bet it's almost morning already."

Daisy flashed him a hurt glance. "Well, I'm sorry for holding you back," she snapped, turning away from her partner. She curled her tail around her paws and sighed as she looked back at Chespin. "Then I don't know what we're going to do. I'm sorry."

The three friends looked at each other, helpless and worried, as back in Pidgeot's Training Camp, the first few Pokemon were beginning to stir and wake.


	22. Chapter 21: Stuck Underground

Rain pattered against the windows as Eclipse exited the elevator into Floor One. He scowled when he noticed a certain Dewott with Crystal. He seemed to be talking to her urgently, while the rest of Team Flash and Team Violet sat at the tables, waiting for breakfast. Not knowing what else to do, and since Skye was still sleeping peacefully in her bed, Eclipse decided to join Team Violet at their table. He sat across from Magma and next to Stone. "Hey, guys," he said with a yawn, bored out of his mind. There was nothing to do - it was quite early, but for some reason when he woke up, he found he couldn't go back to sleep.

"Eclipse." Stone simply twitched as she spoke the word. "What are you doing up so early?"

Having no idea why there was so much tension between the two, Magma the Tepig bounced on his chair. "Eclipse!" He beamed, showing his white teeth as he continued to jump up and down. "What's up? We don't speak much. Want to be friends?"

"Woah, woah, woah." Eclipse rolled his eyes, returning the smile, but on the inside he was quite annoyed. "Chill out, Magma. I can only be friends with you if we talk a lot, and we don't, so how about we get to know each other better before taking a big step?"

Magma huffed, a puff of a fire shooting out of his nostrils. Stone shuddered at this sudden burst, and moved a little farther away from her partner. "Fine," Magma snapped. "I thought everyone wanted to be friends with Team Violet!"

"Magma, this is Eclipse we're talking about here," Stone said with boredom. "He doesn't like us, and we don't like him. It's simple, really."

Tilting his head to one side, Magma frowned. "Why don't you like us, Eclipse? What did we ever do to you?" There was a hurt expression in his eyes which made Eclipse want to punch Stone in the face (which, unfortunately, he couldn't, because he walks on four legs).

"I don't hate you," Eclipse replied, raising his tail as a gesture of cheerfulness. _Man, I never knew I was such a good actor, _he thought with wonder as the bitterness disappeared from Magma's face. "In fact, I find your team very experienced and tough. Bronze Rank already? I heard your team is barely a year old!"

Stone twitched. "You know, Bronze Rank isn't all that special. How did you even know we are that rank?" she questioned, sudden suspicion rising in her words.

"Silly Stone," said Eclipse with a grin. "Gossip spreads like wildfire around here. Don't you know that? Did you even know that Team Claw and Team Planet upgraded to Bronze Rank yesterday?"

Stone twitched her ears in surprise. "I thought Swift was too dumb to achieve another rank. Honestly, anyone would think he'd stay Normal Rank forever." Her eyes sparkled with amusement as the Zorua stared at Magma. "Don't you agree?"

Magma lightly shrugged. "I have no idea who Team Planet is, but I agree about Team Claw. Really, Pidgeot?" He shook his head and chuckled. "Giving _him_ a new rank?"

Eclipse was glad they didn't know what had happened to Swift the day before: he had helped Pidgeot carry Swift all the way to the dungeon, and now he was probably stuck there, suffering for all eternity. _I'm glad I don't have to see his stupid little face ever again. I can't believe he didn't agree to join me. I hope Darkrai has him possessed by now._

"Hey, Eclipse," a familiar voice said from behind them. Eclipse whipped his head around and glowered at Rain, who had his hands on his hips. The Houndoom looked around for Crystal, but sadly, she was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing here, Rain?" Eclipse gritted his teeth, trying to make it look like they had no rivalry at all. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working. Stone was glaring suspiciously at the both of them. On the other hand, Magma didn't notice their conversation at all. He was sucking on his fingers and making burping noises. _Damn, how can Stone stand that guy? _Eclipse wondered.

Rain tilted his head to one side, an annoyed look in his wide eyes. "Guess I've woken up early, that's all. What about you?"

"Same reason." Eclipse lashed his tail, trying to ignore the stares Stone, Crystal, and Silver were giving them.

As soon as Rain left to go talk to Crystal once more, Stone stood up in her chair. "Alright. That sounded kind of suspicious, Eclipse. What's wrong with you two?"

Eclipse flashed her a glare. "And why should I tell you?"

Lifting her chin, Stone gazed into his eyes. "Because I deserve to know what's going on in your little mysterious world."

"First of all, I'm not mysterious," Eclipse growled. This Zorua was really going to have it if she continued to yell at him. "And second of all, why do you even care?"

Stone didn't reply at first. She simply stared at the table, her furry tail swishing back and forth. After a long pause, she finally said, "That's my personality - getting suspicious easily. Why wouldn't I care?"

Eclipse shut his mouth at the same moment, a low growl slowly going its way up his throat. He was going to have to do something about this Stone - if she found out he was evil, Darkrai would have to possess her and make her agree to their plans. His head turned to the white clock on the wall, realizing it was 5:48 - almost time for breakfast to start. "Where are the Pokemon who are going to give us our food?" he growled angrily. "I'm starving like a rabbit here."

Stone rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Eclipse. They're probably done with our food; we're just not getting them until it's 6:00."

Before Eclipse could reply, the elevator opened once more, and his eyes met those of Swamp's, Ember's, and Strike's. Eclipse suddenly realized he had never talked to that team before, and he quickly looked at the ground. Unfortunately, Team E had already saw them, and they were quickly headed toward their table.

Swamp, who was a Mudkip, squeezed in next to Eclipse and Stone. "Hello," she said coolly. "I've never seen you around. Who are you?"

"Swamp," Stone growled, "I think you'd better go talk to Silver. She's sitting all alone, the poor thing. Why don't you speak with her instead?"

Swamp looked over her shoulder and smirked at Stone. "Oh, that's alright. Ember's going to do it instead." Sure enough, the Torchic was already making conversation with Silver.

A Seviper by the name of Strike hissed. "Who isssss this new guy? I didn't know there wassss a rescue team recently joining."

"For your information," Eclipse snapped, "I'm already in a rescue team. I'm from the Guild. Or did you even know we were here?"

Strike smiled, showing his snake-like tongue. "Oh, the idiot'sssss got a temper, doesn't he?" The Seviper slithered on his chair, a look of interest flashing through his eyes. "I like you already."

"Strike, shut up," Swamp muttered. "Sorry, Eclipse. He's got a thing for bad guys. I honestly have no clue why…"

Eclipse shrugged. He himself was a bad guy, so maybe, if Strike decided to join him… His thoughts were interrupted by another team exiting the elevator: Team Fluffy. Fan, the Plusle, let out a cheer and walked toward their table, bringing up two chairs for herself and Strawberry, her Pikachu partner. "Hey, guys!" Fan shouted.

"Keep your voice down," Stone snarled. "And that's the last team who's joining our table. We have too much already."

Quickly following Team Fluffy was Team Water. Eclipse knew from Flame and Pidgeot that they both shared a room. "Why is everyone sitting at one table except for Silver and Ember?" Neptune scowled.

Bounce put a paw on his shoulder, grinning. "Chill out, Neptune. We can sit somewhere else if you want."

Mars, the Wooper that never talked, just stood there.

"No, it's fine! You can join us!" Magma yelled, which made Eclipse's heart sink. Neptune was right: the table was way too crowded.

Neptune rolled his eyes. "Ah, what the heck. Since that's where everyone's sitting." Bounce grabbed three chairs, each of them being in between Magma and Strike.

"Alright, alright," Stone snapped. "When the next Pokemon sits at our table, I'm giving them a huge beating." She narrowed her eyes.

Fan giggled. "I like being next to a lot of Pokemon. It cheers me up when I'm down, and talking is one of my hobbies!"

"It also annoys some others," Eclipse muttered under his breath, making sure the annoying Plusle couldn't hear.

Strawberry shrugged, twitching her long ears. "I guess you're right, Fan. I just don't like being squished. Can you please scoot over, Magma?" she said with a sigh.

"I can't!" Magma huffed. "Mars is literally on me right now!"

Eclipse narrowed his eyes. "That's it, I'm going to a different table." Before getting up, he looked at the clock again: 5:53. Hopefully, Skye would be down soon. Sighing, the Houndoom stood up and stalked over to a table that had no one sitting in it. The next group arrived from the elevator: Team Gay, Team Pluto, and Team Waterfall. Eclipse frowned when he realized that River wasn't with his team. Curiosity flashed through his eyes as he walked over to Shade and Blast. "Hey, where's River?"

Blast looked startled, as if he hadn't realized Eclipse was there. Shade had to answer for him. "I have no idea. He was there when we went to sleep, but he's gone now. Where do you think he went?"

Eclipse had the sickening feeling he was up to something. _Maybe plotting something against us? _he thought, almost growling. "I don't know, either," the Houndoom spoke. "Maybe he went somewhere?"

Worry flashed through Blast's eyes, and Shade sighed. "You're probably right. He'll be back soon, Blast. Everything's fine."

Blast simply let out a sigh, and the two of them walked to a table on the other side of the room. Angel and Frosty exchanged a confused glance, and then they shrugged, following. Team Pluto, on the other hand, scampered toward their own table.

"Hey."

Eclipse spun around to see Stone sitting behind him. "What do you want now?" he growled at the Zorua.

"Where's your little Ninetales friend?" Stone asked, ignoring his rude attitude.

Frowning, Eclipse turned away. "You mean Skye? None of your concern," he snapped, walking away. "Why do you want to know, anyway?"

Stone let out a huff. "Why not?" she asked. "Your partner, Eclipse, might be dead."

As soon as she said that, the elevators opened once more and Team Lightning showed up. "Hey, there's the team that goes on our floor," Eclipse grinned.

"And I don't see any sign of Skye," Stone spoke. "Is she still sleeping? Or, perhaps, did something bad happen?"

"Stop being rude," Eclipse growled. "That's supposed to be my thing."

Stone grinned. "Then maybe we're not as different as we thought." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.

Storm, Daisy, and River looked clueless as they stood perched in front of Chespin's cage. "Hey..." Daisy spoke after an awkward silence. "We never got your name."

"It's Zero." Chespin sighed. "And what are yours?"

"Alright, alright," Storm growled. "We don't have time. Let's just find Kasai and get out of here, since we can't free Swift."

Daisy nodded unhappily. Even though she didn't like Swift, she would miss him for a long time. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. If it's in Pidgeot's room, there's no way we can put a stop to this."

"But we have to," River growled, making a fist. "We can't just let Pidgeot put Pokemon in the dungeon to suffer for eternity just because of stupid reasons."

"River, face it," Storm snapped. "If Pidgeot finds us in her room, instead of saving the day, we'll be sent to the dungeon ourselves. Do you want that?"

Daisy suddenly seemed to stand taller. "No, River's right. We'll just go in Pidgeot's room and get the key when she's on Floor One."

"Look," Zero told them, clutching the bars. "It's not that simple. She has other team members, ya know. Sun the Kecleon and Pidgey. Pidgey can't leave the room, and Sun has to watch him. If ya can get past those two... You're all set."

"Then that's what we'll do," River said with a smirk. "Don't worry. We'll set you free soon. We'll set all of you free."

Storm twitched his ears impatiently. "Can we get Kasai now?" he snapped.

"Alright, alright." Daisy rolled her eyes and began to back away from Zero. "Thanks for your help," she said. "I hope to see you again soon."

Zero dipped his head, grinning. "Ya too. Same goes for the Buizel and Jolteon." He bowed and stepped away from the bars. "Goodbye."

River nodded to Zero. "It was a good meeting." Storm, who seemed to be intent of finding Kasai, quickly walked past the Chespin. _Why is he being so mean? _Daisy wondered. "Well, I guess we're going now," River continued.

"Finally!" Storm groaned. "I thought we'd never finish the conversation. For all we know, Kasai might have murdered Swift already!"

River put his hands on his hips. "Now hold on," he growled. "We don't know that Kasai is a murderer. I highly doubt it."

"Well, he di-" Suddenly, Storm stopped what he was saying and looked at one of the cages next to him.

Daisy frowned and tilted her head. "Is something wrong?" When she followed her partner's gaze, she let out a gasp and took a step backward. Standing directly in front of them, his huge hands clutching the bars, was a Blaziken. And Daisy knew immediately that it was the one they wanted to find in the first place.

"Hey! You're the one who got in a fight with the Mudkip," she blurted out without thinking. "Aren't you?"

The Blaziken's eyes flashed with fury, and he let out a low growl. "You know about that? Who are you anyway?"

"We're Guild members," River explained, puffing out his chest. "Apparently you don't know about the Guild being bombed, so we have to stay here for a while until it's fixed."

Instead of anger, Daisy now caught interest in the Blaziken's expression. "What are your names?" he asked.

"I'm Daisy. This Buizel is River, and the other one's Storm," Daisy instantly explained. Excitement gleamed in her eyes - so it wasn't just a rumor!

"I'm Torch. And, just out of wonder... Is the Mudkip still alive? Her name's Swamp," the Blaziken spoke.

Storm and River looked at each other and shrugged, but Daisy nodded. "Lucky told me. Do you know him?"

Torch smiled. "We've never talked, but yeah, I guess. He's okay."

Daisy sighed. "Listen, we were going to bust you out of the dungeon, but we've figured out that the key is in Pidgeot's room. We might be able to do it tomorrow, alright?"

Torch shrugged. "Fine by me." Excitement lit up in his eyes. "I can't wait to get out of this stinking place."

"Me, too," Storm groaned, glaring at the ground as he kicked up dust underneath his paws. Daisy giggled at his impatience.

"It's too bad I have to face one more day in the dungeon." Torch sighed sadly. "I can barely survive on disgusting gray food and 2 inches of water each day."

Daisy frowned. "You have to live on that?"

"Gross," Storm scowled. "I wouldn't want to eat whatever this disgusting gray food is."

River slapped him across the face; he clearly had it with the Jolteon. "Be nice!" he snapped angrily.

Daisy tried to ignore their quarrel and gazed awkwardly at Torch. "That sucks. But don't worry, it'll all end tomorrow," she explained cheerfully.

Torch seemed to be convinced. He made a fist and threw it into the air. "Yes! Team Fire will soon be back!" Then the frown appeared again on his face. "If Zangoose is still alive... Have you seen one around?"

Daisy shook her head. "I'm sorry. Then again, I don't pay attention much."

River looked up. "I haven't seen one, either."

"Same," Storm chimed in. "We'll start looking, though. Do we even have this planned out, guys?" He scowled. "What are we going to do when we set them free? More importantly, what will Pidgeot do?"

Daisy shrugged. "I guess we'll find out. It may be dangerous, but we have to stand up for what we think is right. Don't you want to do that, Storm?"

Storm shuffled his paws nervously. "I guess you have a point..."

River grinned. "You're right, Daisy. We'll do just that: stand up for what we think is right, and set these innocent Pokemon free from their misery. See you later, Torch. We have to find our friend."

Torch smiled. "Good luck, friends. I hope you achieve your goal." He stepped away from the cage and nodded to each of them. Daisy noticed him glare at Storm when the Jolteon wasn't looking, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" Storm growled.

"Oh, nothing."

Storm rolled his eyes and began to walk away from the Blaziken. "How are we going to find Kasai? This place is huge..."

River shrugged. "We have to get lucky, I guess."

From all angles, Daisy noticed caged Pokemon staring at them, and she shivered, looking away from the prisoners. Who knows? One of them could be evil. With a frown, she dipped her head. "This is kind of creepy..."

River looked ahead of him, attempting not to meet the gaze of the prisoners. "I know. They're staring at us." He padded by Daisy's side. "But don't worry. They're in cages, so they can't hurt us."

"They could use long distance attacks," Daisy pointed out. "Like Hyper Beam."

"...I've never thought of that before..." River groaned, scratching the top of his head. "In that case, well... Run?"

Daisy exchanged a glance with Storm, and without hesitation, they sprinted across the dusty floor. Ignoring the odd looks some Pokemon were giving them, she felt something whiz past her ear. "What was that?" the Umbreon whispered.

The others didn't answer, obviously not hearing her. Another weird object flew at the top of her head, and she ducked just in time. Daisy felt her heart pound as she ran faster. "Stop!" she screeched, letting out a whimper.

"Something just tried to hit my neck!" Storm growled.

Daisy sighed. "It tried to hit my head and my ear," she huffed. "Stop!" she yelled again. "We mean no harm!"

Well, that didn't do it. More objects ran toward her, and she dodged just in time, hitting her head on a wall. The pain caused her to collapse on the ground, and she let out a moan. "Ugh..."

"Daisy!" a familiar voice whispered, and she lifted her head just in time to see an object hit the wall next to her. She had enough time, luckily, to see a sharp, red thing that looked exactly like an arrow. _What are those? _she wondered. "Daisy, get up," the same voice whispered. And then she felt something hit her straight in the face.

How much time had passed? 5 minutes? 30 minutes? An hour? She didn't know. All she knew was that she was sitting on the floor of a strange place with cages. Daisy groaned, rubbing her eyes with her paw. She flinched when red blood appeared on her paw, and she quickly sat up. "W-what happened?" the Umbreon whispered, barely audible to her friend's ears.

She felt someone hug her, and Daisy looked up to see a Buizel. "I thought we lost you," he whispered.

A Jolteon from behind him scowled and looked away. Daisy knew these Pokemon. "...River?" she choked out. "What happened...?"

"You got hit with a...well...something that looked like an arrow." River let go of Daisy and closed his eyes. I'm really sorry this happened."

Daisy stood up shakily, surprised she could even stand. "No... It's not your fault. I should have listened to you."

"No, you were too injured to do that," River argued. "This is all my fault. I should've stopped you guys from going to the dungeon. I shouldn't have made you guys let me come with. The reason why I came with, though..." He looked away. "I wanted to protect you, Daisy. I... I like you."

Silence surrounded the clearing. Daisy and Storm didn't say a word, and River looked down at his paws awkwardly. Luckily, most of the Pokemon were asleep for some reason, so they weren't hearing their conversation. Something unknown chirped through the silence, and River blinked.

"River..." Daisy began. "I didn't know you felt this way. I-I think I like you too..." She shuffled her paws, looking down at them as well. Her mind went completely blank as she looked into his eyes.

"Aww, how cute!" a voice said from behind them.

The three whipped around to notice a grinning Flareon. "Kasai!" Daisy screeched.

Kasai nodded, a smirk planted on her face. "I always knew you two liked each other. Everyone was spreading rumors about it; it was unbelievable! Anyways, now that I got my revenge, we can head back now."

"Revenge...?" Daisy had the sickening feeling she knew what Kasai meant.

"Yeah!" Kasai chuckled. "Of course, it wasn't enough to kill Swift, but I scratched him up a bit. You want to see him?" she asked.

River glared at the Flareon in disgust. "Why would I want to see a bruised Pokemon? Come on, guys. We're leaving. You can come with... I guess." He sighed, staring at Kasai in disappointment.

Kasai grinned. "Sorry that I was being so rude earlier. It's just I felt so angry, I knew I had to avenge Chansey. So I did. Isn't it great?"

"Kasai..." River shook his head, clearly annoyed. "Revenge is not the way to go. Why would you try to kill Swift? He probably did it on accident."

Kasai tilted her head to one side, puzzled. "Wouldn't you do the same if Daisy was killed?" she questioned.

There was a sudden fire in River's eyes, and he took a step forward. "Do not speak of this again," he snarled, and without another word, the Buizel stalked off in the direction of the tunnel.

"Well." Storm blinked awkwardly. "So I just recovered from the River liking Daisy thing... What exactly happened?"

Daisy shot him a glare. It wasn't him she was mad at - she was just too angry to talk right now. Following River, she kept her chin and tail held high, not meeting Kasai's confused gaze. "Come on, Storm," the Umbreon growled.

Storm glowered at River as he padded at his partner's side protectively. _Why is he so worried? River likes me. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me. _Daisy let out a sigh, loud enough for Storm to hear, and walked a little quicker.

Deciding to change the subject, probably because it was too awkward, Storm walked next to Kasai. "Why did you do this?" the Jolteon snapped. "I thought you liked Swift!"

Kasai twitched, fury suddenly flashing through her gaze. "Liked...him? What got you to believe that?" She narrowed her eyes. "I don't like him... He tried to kill Chansey. It's all his fault, Storm. So why are you blaming me about it?"

"I agree that it was his fault," Daisy pointed out. "But it's also yours. Like River said, you should never get your revenge. It's the wrong answer."

Kasai rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're taking his side. I thought we were best friends, Daisy."

"I'm not disagreeing with you!" Daisy was yelling now. Why did Kasai think she was blaming her? After the conversation with Zero, she knew that it was all Swift's fault. "I'm agreeing with you, Kasai. I'm sorry if I said something wrong, but... I didn't mean to."

The Flareon seemed to get a lot more calmer. A slow grin began to form across her face. "Thanks, Daisy. You always know how to cheer me up."

For some reason, that sentence made her think of Blue. Blue was Daisy's best friend before she was killed by her own partner, and they talked a lot. Unfortunately, when Sky was possessed, they hadn't been on friendly terms, and that's when things started to take a wrong turn. Daisy hoped that this wasn't the beginning of something bad as well: would Kasai get herself killed? Shaking her head, she decided to clear her thoughts. Kasai wouldn't get herself killed - she was too strong for that. Smiling, Daisy watched as they neared the tunnel.

"Ugh," Storm growled. "Breakfast has probably started already. I can't imagine what the others must be thinking. Eclipse's definitely gonna be suspicious."

River sighed, his heads above his head. "Oh, he'll definitely be suspicious. I agree with you on that one. But what about Pidgeot? She might give us a punishment for being late..."

"Look, River," Kasai said with a long sigh. "She may have yelled at Daisy for breaking a chair on accident, but she wouldn't go that far. Flame wouldn't accept it, that's for sure."

"Yeah. I know she likes us," Daisy said, trying to keep the happiness between the group going with a light laugh. It didn't work. "Hey, Kasai. Where is Swift anyway?"

Kasai grinned. "Not too far from Torch. About five cages away. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

"Hey!" Daisy growled playfully, blissful she was on great terms with her friend again. That's what best friends were for - forgiving each other. And if Daisy was angry at Kasai for avenging her partner? That would be stupid. She didn't even kill Swift - only scratched him up a bit. Daisy had to admit, if River or Storm died, she would avenge their deaths. Of course, she wouldn't do what Kasai did, but she would somehow get her revenge.

The four Pokemon continued to walk across the dungeon, ignoring the stares several Pokemon were giving them. Most of them were asleep again, luckily. "You know, this trip wasn't so bad," River spoke. "Even if I don't like Swift, I kind of miss him. We will see him again, right?"

"I don't agree with you about letting Swift free, but I'm not going to push you into not doing it," Kasai said. "And even if I don't want to..." She sighed in disappointment. "Yes, I suppose we will see him again."

Suddenly, the tunnel opened up before them, a pitch black darkness that sent chills down Daisy's spine. She couldn't help but take a step back. _Why am I so scared? I've been down here before, and nothing bad happened... _But then, the Umbreon could've sworn she heard a faint roar down the tunnel. "So, I guess we're going now," she murmured.

"You sound afraid," River teased, placing a paw on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We all are. I'll protect you if something bad happens."

His touch made Daisy instantly feel better. She relaxed and began to walk forward. "Then let's go," the Umbreon spoke, taking the lead. River brought up the rear, making sure no enemies were following them. Kasai and Storm padded side by side as they walked through the darkness.

There it was again, the roar. This time it was much louder and more clear to Daisy's ears. Losing her bravery, she began to tremble and slow down until she was next to River's side. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

River stared at her in surprise. "A roar? I thought it was just my imagination. Well, I guess we can never get our hopes up," he joked. Daisy didn't find it very funny, especially because it was real. River noticed her uneasiness, and wrapped his arm around her. "Let's go to the front," he whispered. Suddenly Daisy felt a stare at the top of her head, and she looked in front of her to see Storm's scowl. _He's been like this ever since River confessed his feelings... _she thought. _But why...?_

As soon as they were at the front again, River's touch relaxing Daisy, a faint whistling was heard in her ears. The Umbreon shrank a little closer to her friend. "What is that?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Storm said loudly. "Maybe it's a Pokemon who doesn't like River being too close to you?" Stalking up to the two Pokemon, he squeezed himself in between them and glowered at River.

The Buizel, puzzled by this sudden movement, frowned. "This is no time for jokes, Storm. This could be dangerous. We might be getting closer and closer to something...evil." He shuddered, clearly afraid as well.

"I'm not joking," Storm snapped. "I wouldn't joke in front of Daisy." He took a step toward her, their pelts brushing. Then he glared once more at River.

Annoyed, Daisy stepped away from her partner. "Why are you acting so rude? Don't you respect who I like?"

Storm narrowed his eyes, but before he could respond, Kasai took a step forward. "He's obviously jealous," the Flareon giggled.

"I am not!" Storm gritted his teeth, staring straight at Kasai. Then his eyes widened when another roar was heard down the tunnel - this time, it was audible to everyone. "Uhh, did anyone else hear that?"

Daisy frowned. "That roar's been going on for a while," she spoke. "Are you deaf or something?"

"Great, now Daisy's making jokes," River said loudly. But he winked to show that he was teasing himself, and padded next to the Umbreon again. "Don't worry. If anything horrible happens, I'll protect you."

Storm's voice spoke loudly from on the other side of Daisy. "I'll protect her, too." For some reason, when Storm said it, it annoyed her. She pressed her pelt against River's, sighing as she dared to look straight ahead.

"Honestly, I don't know why you bother with that rat," Storm continued to say. "He's obviously lying when he's saying he's going to protect you. Am I right, Kasai?"

Kasai only shook her head sadly. "Sorry, Storm. But if you want to stay friends with Daisy, then I suggest not saying your thoughts about River."

"I can hear you, you know," Daisy snapped, flicking her tail angrily. The anger in her voice was clear - and even a tiny mouse would realize it was directed at Storm. "Storm, stop being rude to River. Why do you hate him so much? What did he ever do to you?"

"Yeah," River said with a frown. "I didn't do anything." But before Storm could answer, another roar came from farther down the tunnel.

Each group Pokemon whipped their heads around, then looked straight ahead. "It seems to be a little closer," River whispered. "Come on, let's go over to the side. Whoever this...mysterious Pokemon is, we have a better chance of hiding there."

"For all we know, we could be standing on the side right now," Storm growled. "It's too dark and I can't see anything. Unless, of course, you're as blind as a bat."

Kasai giggled. "Um, I'm sorry, Storm," she said, "but you just called yourself blind."

Storm bristled. At least Daisy guessed he did. She could barely see his outline in this dark tunnel. "Don't annoy me," the Jolteon growled, stalking over to the side and bumping his head on the wall. Daisy couldn't resist a giggle, and as soon as she did, the others laughed as well.

"It's not that funny!" Storm growled, shaking himself off with his front paws, and glaring at everyone. "I could've gotten unconscious, like Daisy did. At least I'm much stronger than she is." Without waiting for a response, he stalked off at the head of the group.

Daisy blinked, confused rather than hurt. "What is his problem...? He's been acting like this for a long time..."

"I told you, Daisy," Kasai said with a sigh. "He's clearly jealous."

Daisy huffed in annoyance. "There's no need to be jealous! Why can't he accept that me and River like each other?"

River frowned, sadness in his big eyes. "I don't want this to become a problem," he said.

Daisy didn't want there to be a huge argument. She flattened her ears and kept her head down as she brushed her pelt against River's.

"You should keep your head up," River whispered. "There could be something, like a rock, that you might bump into."

Daisy sighed. "Honestly, there's nothing in this tunnel. Why would I-"

This time, the roar blocked out her words. The group could only stare as the deafening screech sounded from what seemed like only a few inches away.

"He could be right in front of us now and we wouldn't notice," Kasai murmured. The way her voice shook when she talked made Daisy realize the Flareon was even more frightened than she was.

River let out a snarl as he pressed a paw tightly on Daisy's shoulder. "I won't let it get you," he growled through gritted teeth.

"You don't have to protect me," Daisy said softly. "I know what I'm doing."

River sighed, relaxing from his place next to her, but he still seemed angry. "I know. I just like you too much."

A smile formed on Daisy's snout when he said those words, and she knew she could never be mad at him if he just wanted to keep her safe. In fact, she liked his protectiveness over her. So why did she find it annoying when Storm tried to do the same thing?

"You guys are perfect for each other," Kasai giggled, obviously overhearing their conversation. Daisy blushed and looked down at her paws. River rolled his eyes, while Storm curled his claws sharply on the ground. Again, Daisy wondered why he was so angry. There was nothing to be mad about. So what if she and River liked each other? Why did he have to be so jealous of them? Annoyance rippled through her like a water current. "It's a shame Storm doesn't agree," Kasai continued, flashing a sharp glance at the Jolteon, who had gritted teeth. "Too bad he's jealous."

Daisy hated that word. A lot of times, she was jealous - like when River and Sky were with each other. She finally understood now what that feeling was when she saw them talking and laughing. It was jealousy. Had she liked River all this time, she just never knew it until when they were at the dungeon? Daisy couldn't help but smile at the thought. At least he liked her back - maybe he always did.

The roar sounded from in front of them again, but Daisy barely heard it. She was too busy in her thoughts about River, a dreamy gaze in her eyes. She flinched when Storm called her name. "Are you okay?" the Jolteon asked.

"I'm fine," Daisy snapped, ignoring the look of hurt Storm gave her. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"Well, stop thinking, because you're slowing down the rest of us," Storm retorted with a flick of his tail.

Before Daisy could reply, a sudden bright light flashed through the tunnel, and her heart soared as a small flicker of hope flashed through her. "Is that the elevator?" she whispered.

"It might be." River grinned, patting her on the shoulder. "Let's go faster, guys. I would have higher hopes if I never heard that roar." He narrowed his eyes at the light in front of him, as if the mysterious Pokemon would come out and scare them at any second.

As soon as he said that, a low growl hummed deep in Storm's throat. A bright light flashed literally inside of the Jolteon, and his eyes turned red.

"Uh, Storm... Are you okay?" Daisy asked, tilting her head to one side as a sudden chill went down her back.

"Kill," the Jolteon whispered. And then he lunged at River.

Eclipse grinned as he stared at the salad in front of him. He didn't have this kind of food in a long time, and here he was, eating away! "Ish so good," he said as he crunched on the lettuce.

Skye giggled. "I can tell you love salad," she joked.

Eclipse rolled his eyes, finishing what the Pokemon called "breakfast" quickly. He swiped his tongue along his jaws, licking the last of the crumbs. "Geez," he growled. "I'm quite full now."

"Be careful," Skye warned. "A lot of Pokemon throw up later when they eat too fast."

Smirking, Eclipse tilted his head. "I'm not afraid of throwing up." He jumped down from his chair and yawned. "Alright, breakfast's over. Time to get some sleep."

"Why don't we take on a mission?" Skye's eyes sparkled. "We should go to Star Point! I mean, we're almost Ultra Rank. We're going to graduate soon!"

For some reason, Eclipse didn't want to graduate. He did have some business to do before bothering about gaining another rank. "Don't you think we're being too quick?" he questioned, being careful about his words. "I mean, it's like we were Normal Rank yesterday. Why don't we wait?"

Skye shrugged lightly. "True. You're right; let's wait. Besides..." She closed her eyes with a sad sigh. "I don't want to leave my friends."

Eclipse rolled his eyes. Friends. Everyone thought they had one, and yet he knew friends didn't exist. Even the Pokemon he was plotting with - he didn't think of them as friends. Only allies. After all, those two words were different, weren't they? The mere thought of having a friend sickened him, and he sighed. "Like I said, let's get some sleep." He flashed a glance at a certain Zorua before looking away, puzzled on why he just did that. "Yeah..."

"You look like something's bothering you." Skye frowned. "Is something the matter?"

A low growl hummed deep in Eclipse's throat. "Nothing's wrong, Skye," he snapped. "I'm so tired I feel like I'm ready to fall asleep on my paws. Let's go."

"Okay. Just tell me if something's bothering you, alright?" the Ninetales said before they walked over to the elevator.

Daisy instantly felt the need to protect River as soon as Storm lunged at him. So instead of cowering in the corner, she jumped in front of her best friend, letting her partner attack her instead.

"You are not the enemy," Storm said with no emotion. Daisy gasped. His voice was almost robotic. _Is he being possessed? _But before she could think straight, he pushed her against the wall and lunged at River again.

This time, since Daisy wasn't completely recovered from the blast, Kasai grabbed River's scruff and dodged Storm's attack. "Why are you acting like this?" the Flareon growled. "What's wrong with you, Storm? And what's up with your eyes?"

The Jolteon didn't answer. He only resumed staring at River, a growl forming in his throat. "You took Daisy away from me," he whispered. "So now it's time I take you away from Daisy." He lunged again.

_It's like he's not giving up, _Daisy thought as she grabbed Storm's tail and pulled. The Jolteon spun around, a frown forming on his snout. "Leave him alone!" Daisy yelled. "If you like me, then don't you want to make me happy? So stop fighting River and I'll be happy!"

Storm blinked, chuckling. Daisy didn't find this very funny. "Oh, Daisy. The point is, I want to make you suffer. You chose River over me. So what's wrong with killing him?"

"What's wrong with killing him?" Daisy echoed, taking a few steps forward. She was too angry to control herself. "What's wrong with killing him?! Everything is wrong with that, Storm! I can't believe you're doing this!"

Storm smirked, his eyes glowing a bright red. "I'm sorry, Daisy. Did I make you mad?" the Jolteon teased. Grinning, and with a sudden movement, he scratched River across the face. "Did I make you mad again?"

River gasped and fell backwards. Daisy curled her claws on the ground, raising her paw to strike. As soon as her claws were inches from his neck, Storm's eyes turned back to normal, and he collapsed.

"What just happened?" Kasai blinked in wonder.

"He must've been possessed." A huge scratch traced across River's face, and he groaned. "I don't blame him..."

Daisy walked over to him, continously licking his scratch. "Are you okay?" she whimpered.

River grinned, pushing her away. "Don't worry, Daisy. I'm fine." He rubbed his eyes, his smile turning into the exact opposite when he looked in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Daisy looked in front of her as well, immediately wishing she hadn't. Only a few inches away was Kasai, having glowing red eyes just like Storm's.

"Kill Swift," the Flareon whispered, almost robot-like. Daisy shivered; that was almost the exact word Storm had spoken. Kasai sounded possessed... But was she? Before she could think straight, Kasai lunged past the group and down the tunnel.

Confusion swept across River's face. "What are you doing?" he called. "The way out is this way!" He pointed to the light.

Ignoring him, Kasai continued to run until she was just a speck in the distance.

Daisy felt her heart pound through her chest. "Oh, no," she whispered. "We have to stop her from killing Swift. Is anyone here a fast runner?"

"I think I'm pretty fast," Storm admitted. "I doubt we'll get to the dungeon in time, but it's worth a shot, right?"

Daisy nodded determinedly, liking Storm's sudden interest in saving Swift, even though it was unlike him. "Then let's go. River, do you want to come with?"

Suddenly, Storm's ears flattened, and he took a step forward as a low growl formed in his throat. "That Buizel's just going to hold us back," the Jolteon snapped. "We're better off without him."

Daisy blinked, shocked as she looked at River's expression, who seemed calm enough. "You know, he's right," the Buizel said sadly. "Go on without me. I'm really slow when it comes to running, so..." He shrugged lightly, grinning as if what Storm had said was a simple joke.

"Well, do you want to come with?" Daisy asked, tilting her head to one side. She was kind of impatient to get going, but River was her best friend, and she didn't want him feeling upset.

"Come _on!" _Storm said urgently, flicking his ears with impatience. Without waiting for a response from the two, he began to dash across the tunnel almost at the speed of light.

Daisy gazed in awe at his speed; she never knew he was such a fast runner. But, not wanting to waste time, she quickly scampered across the tunnel, and it wasn't long before they were running side by side.

The shape of a Flareon began to appear farther down the tunnel, and a flicker of hope lit itself in Daisy's heart. _Maybe we'll catch her before she tries to kill Swift._

Unfortunately, as soon as she thought that, a large clearing opened up, and the hope inside of Daisy began to diminish as she saw Kasai enter it. "We've got to move faster," she told Storm, determined to catch up with Kasai and prevent her from killing her former friend.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Storm grumbled, beginning to sprint. Daisy noticed him slowing down a little, however, and her heart sank when she realized she was also growing tired. But then, she told herself, this was for Swift. Even if she didn't like him that much, he still was her friend, and Daisy didn't even know if she could trust Zero - even if he told the truth, maybe it was a misunderstanding. Daisy doubted Swift attempted to murder Chansey on purpose. _Would he really do that? Besides, I've known him longer than I knew Zero. It's sort of obvious who I should trust. _She clawed the ground in frustration; so many secrets were still being kept. Who was evil and who was not evil?

In her thoughts, she hadn't realized they'd reached the tunnel until she bumped her head on a cage. Groaning, Daisy collapsed on the floor. "Ugh…"

"Are you done now?" Storm snapped. To Daisy's surprise, he didn't seem at all worried if she was injured. Instead, he was pacing on the ground, ready to stop Kasai.

"Okay, okay." Rolling her eyes, Daisy slowly lifted herself from the ground and followed Storm. "Where do you think she went?"

Storm shot her a glare. "You were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn't see her directly in front of us?" he growled. "I already caught her. She's over there." He angled his ears at an unconscious Flareon directly in front of them.

Daisy gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "Did you…kill her?" For a heartbeat she couldn't believe that he would do that, and her heart sank with relief when he quickly answered her question.

"No, no," Storm growled. "I would never do that. After all, Kasai didn't ruin my life." He narrowed his eyes angrily, and Daisy wondered what was on his mind. _Is he hiding something? _she wondered. "Anyways," Storm continued, "she'll wake up eventually. A blow to the head was enough to make her unconscious." He grinned as if everything was alright.

Daisy frowned. "Why didn't you just use one of your attacks, or maybe convince her that Swift is innocent?"

Storm shrugged. "Who cares, honestly?" He shook her head. "Let's just get her back to River, and this time we're going to walk." He sighed. "Although I don't think I have the energy. Should we rest?"

"River's going to worry if we don't come back," Daisy pointed out. "Besides, it's probably morning already. We need to be quick."

Storm frowned suddenly, as if he realized she was correct. "Right." Shaking his head, he followed Daisy as they padded back into the tunnel.

"Skye!" Eclipse announced as soon as he saw the Ninetales pad out of the elevator. "There you are. I was getting worried."

Skye shook herself, an embarrassed blush making its way across her face. "Sorry," she muttered. "I guess I slept too long."

Eclipse rolled his eyes, a playful expression in them. He didn't know why, but for some reason he was happy. "Let's go to a table. Lunch starts in three minutes." He glanced at the clock, and Skye followed his gaze. It was 11:58 AM at the moment.

"Yep." Eclipse was about to lead her to a table when she stalked over to one occupied by Stone the Zorua. Eclipse narrowed his eyes when he sat next to his rescue team partner. "Why do you want to sit here?" the Houndoom asked, annoyed.

"Why not?" Skye said cheerfully. "Stone's awesome. Did you not realize we hang out a lot?"

Stone smiled, walking over until she was sitting next to the Ninetales. "She's right. Geez, Eclipse, where've you been?" she teased.

Eclipse narrowed his eyes. "Let's sit somewhere else, Skye," he growled. Something wasn't right. Before Stone had thought Skye was dead - if they really were best friends, that wouldn't be a very nice thing to say. He decided he would point this out to the Ninetales soon.

"You can go, but I'm staying," Skye huffed. "I haven't talked to Stone in a while."

"But you just said you hung out a lot," Eclipse pointed out, puzzled.

Skye nodded. "We used to. I met her the first day we were in Pidgeot's Training Camp, and we've been besties ever since!"

Eclipse looked at Stone, who nodded. He let out a frustrated sigh. "You're acting worse than Daisy and Storm right now," he huffed.

"What do you have against that team anyway?" Skye questioned. "I've noticed you giving them angry glares a lot, and you always yell at them. What happened?"

Eclipse didn't want to give away his secret; Skye didn't even know he was evil and out to get the humans. "Oh, it's nothing," the Houndoom lied. As soon as he said that, the bell rang for lunch. Eclipse sighed in relief as the elevator opened, revealing Pidgeot, Pidgey, and Sun. Sun hurriedly opened a door that Eclipse had never seen before, and grabbed a bunch of plates. _This is really different from the Guild, _he thought. _They're actually ready with the food by the time breakfast, lunch, or dinner starts. _He scowled as he waited impatiently for the plates to reach his table.

"Don't be so impatient," Skye said, rolling her eyes. "They already have our food; they just need to give them to us."

"Yeah," Stone pointed out, flashing Eclipse a smirk that made him want to kill her right there on the spot.

Eclipse narrowed his eyes. "Alright, alright. It's not my fault I wasn't born in Pidgeot's Training Camp," he retorted angrily, curling his tail around his paws as he waited some more. "It looks like they're giving the food to all the other tables except ours," the Houndoom snarled.

"Chill out," Stone growled. "They'll reach our table eventually."

"Yeah, you're never usually this bad-tempered," Skye said with a frown. "Is something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

Eclipse frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Eclipse." Stone shrugged. "He's always bad-tempered, Skye."

Eclipse couldn't wait to sink his claws in Stone's fur, but since they were in public, he knew he couldn't do it yet. Sighing in frustration, he glared at Skye, a thought forming in his mind. "Hey, do you know where Team Darkened Thunder is? Looks like they're late."

"They could be sleeping in," Skye thought, shrugging.

"True." But Eclipse couldn't hide the growing suspicious that Daisy, Storm, and River were up to something…up to something bad. _If they're plotting against us, I'm going to have to convince Darkrai to kill them sooner. It's a pity we can't possess the humans. _He narrowed his eyes as he thought this; he knew it was beyond Darkrai's power to possess Pokemon not from the Pokemon world. Eclipse wanted more than ever to destroy Daisy, River, and the other human: Night the Snivy. _Darkrai told me there were five of us. I only know four… Who could possibly be the fifth of us? _he wondered, frowning.

"Eclipse? Is something wrong?" Stone frowned, and Eclipse scowled when he caught suspicious in her gaze. _I can't have her thinking I'm evil. Now her I can kill. _He smiled at the thought, and instantly felt better.

"No, nothing's wrong, Stone. Just thinking." Cheerfully eating the spaghetti that was placed at their table, Eclipse almost forgot about the problems he would have to face. Almost.

But he knew that he still had a problem: the humans. And if he didn't get rid of them soon, they would end up saving the world. _I cannot have that happen, _he thought as he angrily munched on a piece of spaghetti. But it wasn't exactly his job - Darkrai would be the one to tell him what to do eventually. His eyes narrowed as he thought of another pest: Rain, the one who stole Snow from him. Luckily the Dewott wasn't a human, so Eclipse could get rid of him easily. He thought of the conversation that happened not too long ago, when the two Pokemon when they were having a peaceful lunch. He thought of the words he had told Rain: _"I'll kill you when no one is there to get rid of me."_ Now, he realized, what he would do. A smile planted on his face as he looked at Skye. "I'll be right back," the Houndoom spoke, before getting up from his table and looking around the room. His eyes narrowed when he caught the eyes of Rain, who was, not surprisingly, talking urgently to Crystal.

Of course, Eclipse was glad he was going to break up their conversation; why did they always speak to each other in urgent voices anyway? Was something going on? _If Rain is warning her about me, then I'll have to kill Crystal as well… As much as I don't want to… _He shook his head to get rid of those disturbing thoughts before padding over to Rain's table. "Hey, guys," the Houndoom said in a cheerful voice. "Where's Silver? You aren't abandoning her again, are you?" He narrowed his eyes as he glared at Rain.

Rain's eyes flashed with anger. Crystal looked at the two, puzzled, and Eclipse sighed in relief: she didn't know about their quarrel, which obviously meant Rain hadn't warned her about him. "In case you didn't know," Rain growled, "she's over there talking with Ember."

"You're her father, Rain," Eclipse growled. "You should be spending more time with her. After all, isn't that what fathers do?"

This seemed to tick Rain off. Placing his hand on his hips, he growled through clenched teeth, "Crystal, do you mind going somewhere else for a second? I think there's something Eclipse wants to tell me." Rain narrowed his eyes, looking at Eclipse the whole time he spoke.

Still looking puzzled, Crystal slowly nodded before padding over to Silver and Ember, who were still being annoying little chatterboxes. Eclipse sighed.

"Alright, Eclipse," Rain snapped. "Obviously you wouldn't go talking to me unless something's up. So what's up?"

"Nothing," Eclipse lied. "I just wanted to talk to you outside, that's all."

Suspicion flashed through Rain's eyes. "Why outside? Why can't we just talk here like normal Pokemon?"

"We're going outside," Eclipse snarled, rage flashing through him. "Or I'll make sure Pidgeot sends you to the dungeon and you never get out."

This made Rain take a step back, and Eclipse smirked when he started to tremble. _Good. I got him scared. Now, hopefully, he'll take my word and go outside. _"Y-you can't make me," Rain growled, making Eclipse's heart sink, but also filling him with fury.

"Or can I?" Eclipse snapped, beginning to walk toward Pidgeot.

"Alright, alright, we'll go outside!" There was real fear in Rain's voice, and Eclipse smiled. _This was easier than I expected. I didn't know Rain was this weak._

Unfortunately, before they could take one step toward the door, a Zorua appeared in front of them. _Can't Stone just leave me alone? _thought Eclipse, wanting to growl in her face. She, if it wasn't obvious already, would be the next one Eclipse had to kill. He sighed, and before Stone could speak, said, "We're just going on a normal walk, that's all."

"Really? Because ten minutes ago, you guys looked like you had a quarrel." Stone tilted her head.

Eclipse forced a glance at Rain, who was watching intently, and he bent down to whisper in Stone's ear. "We forgave each other, okay?"

Stone narrowed her eyes, still looking suspicious. "Then why are you whispering? I know I'm pretty, but you don't have to get in my face."

Eclipse's claws scraped the floor, and he couldn't help but blush. "Just go away," he murmured.

"Alright, alright. I was just asking a question," Stone said, shrugging. Without another world, she padded back to Skye, and the two continued to chat. For a moment Eclipse wondered if he should eavesdrop, and then he remembered what he had to do.

"What was that all about?" Rain growled, crossing his arms. "What did you whisper to her?"

"Uh…" Eclipse frowned. "I-I was just wishing her team good luck, that's all. They're going on a mission to Star Point," he lied.

Rain sighed. Luckily, he looked convinced, but there was still a suspicious glint in his eyes. Obviously he didn't want to go on this 'walk.' "So, Rain," Eclipse began as they started to walk toward the door, "I've been thinking. Maybe we should end this quarrel; it's getting us nowhere."

"Are you sure?" Rain stopped and stared at them, but Eclipse's paws forced him closer to the door, so he kept on walking. "Earlier you looked like you wanted to kill me, and now you seem so…" He hesitated. "Kind. That isn't like you."

Eclipse rolled his eyes. "Oh, silly, I actually forgot why we had this argument in the first place, it's so old!" he chuckled.

"True. So you want to be friends, huh?" Eclipse's heart soared; this time Rain's gaze had no suspicion, just confusion and awe.

"Of course. And by starting our friendship, why don't we go on a morning walk?" he suggested, not keeping his stare off of Rain as he opened the door.

Rain shrugged. "Sounds good to me." With a yawn that proved his tiredness, he stepped out the door. "Where do you want to go?"

"Oh, I don't know…" A haunted look crossed Eclipse's face. "Maybe Smoky Woods?" He closed the door with one paw, but still he kept those eyes on Rain.

The Dewott frowned. "Smoky Woods? Doesn't that seem a bit dangerous?"

"Well, I don't want to go too far, and Smoky Woods basically surrounds the camp… So why not?" Eclipse grinned, chuckling again.

Understanding crossed through Rain's eyes. "Right. I guess I forgot that. It's been so long since I've been on a rescue mission…" He looked at his paws. "Honestly, I don't think Flame trusts me."

"Why wouldn't she trust you?" Eclipse asked, beginning the walk again. He wasn't going to kill Rain right in front of Pidgeot's Training Camp, of course; there were windows which meant Pokemon could see the murder.

"I don't know." Rain sighed. "I guess it was because I knew about Darkrai and Thunder and all. I don't think she liked that."

Eclipse almost bristled. This was exactly why he had to kill Rain: the Dewott knew about Thunder and Darkrai. Eclipse was still unsure how exactly he figured it out, but he didn't want to ask. It might get Rain suspicious again. "That's stupid," he growled. "That's a very bad reason to hate you. Why don't you start telling her how you feel?" He flashed a glance behind him before Rain could answer, and almost smiled. Pidgeot's Training Camp was getting smaller and smaller in the distance.

Rain nodded, grinning. "I should do that. Thanks." He glanced awkwardly at his feet before looking up. "Do you think she's a bad leader?" he asked.

Eclipse shook his head. "I'm not that rude. I think she could be a bit nicer, though. Now Pidgeot… She's horrible."

Rain shuddered. "I know. Flame would never put Pokemon in a dungeon. Remember Daisy and the chair incident? Wasn't that really stupid?"

Eclipse nodded, an angry expression on his face. _Being a good actor is really helping right now, _he thought cheerfully. "I can't believe she would do that."

Rain stomped his feet. "I hope I don't go to the dungeon. Who knows what's down there?"

"I know, right?" Eclipse didn't dare tell him that he had been to the dungeon before. The Houndoom had helped Pidgeot take Swift there; sadly, he didn't know the real reason as to why Swift was sent to the dungeon. _At least I got to see it. It's pretty cool. _An awkward silence spread between the two. Eclipse smiled.

It was time.

"So, Rain…" he started. "Is it true that you and Snow were mates before she joined the Guild?" He took a step closer to the Dewott, startling him.

"Y-Yes…" Rain looked uncomfortable, something unknown flashing through his eyes. Eclipse almost let out a growl, but he quickly calmed himself.

"You do realize I was her mate as well. Right?" Another step toward Rain.

Rain backed up against a tree, looking at his feet. "I-I know. We've been through this, Eclipse," he murmured. "Are you sure you've forgiven me?"

"Am I sure?" Eclipse let out a cackle of insane laughter. "Are you being serious? Of course I never forgave you for being Snow's mate, Rain. She was mine, not yours, and you stole me from her. And now I'm getting my revenge. You will never, ever be Crystal's mate."

Rain gasped. "W-what are you-"

"When you first came to the Guild, I was jealous. Jealous that you and Snow liked each other. The point is, you pulled Snow into your little trap, stealing her from me and making her like you more than me. I was always the better boyfriend. You stole her from me." His voice cracked, and he quickly shook his head. This was no time to be depressed; he was too angry for that.

Rain sighed, dropping his gaze to his feet once more. "I never knew you felt that way before, Eclipse. I thought you just hated me for no reason. I'm sorry."

"It's too late to apologize," Eclipse snarled, his claws scraping the grass below him. The Houndoom couldn't wait to use them on Rain, scraping them across his neck, ripping his entrails out… Eclipse shook himself out of the little fantasy and took another step toward Rain. "It's too late to apologize," he repeated. "Snow was my mate, and I was happy with her… Then you had to get in the way."

Fear flashed through Rain's eyes. "Eclipse, she's dead now. You don't have to bother killing her."

Eclipse dipped his head. "No, she's not," he whispered.

Rain blinked. "Are you okay, Eclipse?"

Eclipse looked up again, a snarl forming on his snout. "No, she's not, Rain. Snow isn't dead. She is Crystal. They are the same Pokemon."

The fear in Rain's eyes was replaced by puzzlement. "No, they're not." He blinked. "Sure they look alike, but that doesn't mean they're the same Pokemon."

Eclipse growled at him. "You don't know anything, do you?" He shook his head, taking another step toward Rain. "You're oblivious to it all. It's a surprise you know about Darkrai and Thunder when you're so stupid."

Rain growled. "What do you want from me, Eclipse?"

"Oh, nothing, Rain." Eclipse's frown instantly transformed into a smirk as he said those words. Slowly, he raised his paw. "Why would I want anything from you?" As quick as a snake, he slashed it across the Dewott's face.

Rain let out a weak whimper, covering his face with his hands. "W-what's wrong with you?" His voice cracked. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm going to do what I should've done a long time ago," Eclipse snarled. "It's time for you to die, Rain."

Another step toward Rain. Again, Eclipse raised his paw.

And then the Dewott screamed.


End file.
